Department for Transport

Taxis: Licensing

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will issue new guidance to local authorities on the issuing of Hackney carriage or taxi licences to include higher quality background checks and improved standards.

Andrew Jones: The best practice guidance issued by the Department for Transport to local licensing authorities is currently being reviewed and updated. In addition to this, the Government has also introduced an amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill that will enable statutory guidance to be issued on aspects related to the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults. Both parts of the guidance will be consulted on once the Policing and Crime Bill receives Royal Assent.

Airports

Ian C. Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the runway capacity was for each UK airport in the last 10 years.

Mr John Hayes: UK Aviation Forecasts (Department for Transport, January 2013), Table 3.10 gave estimates of annual runway and passenger capacities for the 31 principal UK airports in 2008. See: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223839/aviation-forecasts.pdf . Strategic Fit Forecasts (Airports Commission, July 2015), Table 3.2 gave estimates of annual runway and passenger capacities for the 31 principal UK airports in 2011. Seehttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/439687/strategic-fit-updated-forecasts.pdf

Govia Thameslink Railway

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date Govia Thameslink Railways' application for force majeure was received; whether there is a date by which his Department (a) must and (b) plans to respond to that application; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) first notified the Department on 20 April 2016 in advance of the conductors strike on 26 April 2016 that they would potentially be submitting a claim for force majeure. This claim was submitted to the Department on 1 June 2016 and GTR have submitted information on a regular basis since. The circumstances that have led to GTR submitting their claims for force majeure in this instance are exceptional in their complexity and unprecedented in scale. This is reflected in the volume of information GTR is providing to the Department. Whilst the franchise agreement does not specify a set timeframe in which these claims must be processed, the Department is processing the claims consistently with the contract to ensure that passenger and taxpayer interests are protected.

Railways: Staff

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will undertake an Equality Impact Assessment of Driver Only Operation.

Paul Maynard: We are not planning to undertake an assessment, as it is for the individual operator to decide what level of assessment to carry out, in relation to their Legal obligations under the Equality Act and their Disabled Peoples Protection Policy which is a Passenger Operator License Condition.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess whether (a) Govia Thameslink Railway and (b) his Department have met their public sector equality duty in relation to the extension of Driver Only Operation.

Paul Maynard: The Government is determined for everyone to have the same access to public transport and all train companies must comply with their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and their Disabled People’s Protection Policy (which is a Passenger Operator Licence Condition) in respect of all aspects of their operation, including where Driver Only Operation is in effect. The Disabled People’s Protection Policy is approved and monitored by the ORR.

Govia Thameslink Railway

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which stations on the Govia Thameslink Railway Southern routes operate unstaffed some or all of the time; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: Within the GTR network, there are 156 stations on the Southern route. Of these: UNSTAFFEDAldrington, Amberley, Ashurst, Appledore, Belmont, Birkbeck, Bishopstone, Banstead,Box Hill & Westhumble, Collington, Cooksbridge, Cowden, Doleham, East Worthing, Edenbridge, Epsom Downs, Faygate, Fishbourne, Fishersgate, Glynde, Godstone, Hever, Holmwood, Leigh, Newhaven Harbour, Normans Bay, Nutbourne, Nutfield, Ockley, Ore, Penhurst, Pevensey Bay, Southease, Three Oaks, Warnham, Winchelsea. Total – 35 stations  PARTLY STAFFED – STAFFED FOR SOME PART OF THE DAY Arundel, Balcombe, Berwick, Billingshurst, Bosham, Burgess Hill, Buxted, Chipstead, Christ’s Hospital, Cooden Beach, Crowborough, Dormans, Durrington-On-Sea, Earlswood,Edenbridge Town, Emsworth, Eridge, Ewell East, Ford, Goring-By-Sea, Ham Street, Hampden Park,Hassocks, Hurst Green, Ifield, Kingswood, Lingfield, Littlehaven, London Road, Moulescoomb,Newhaven Town, Pevensey & Westham, Plumpton, Preston Park, Pulborough, Purley Oaks, Rye, Salfords, Seaford, Southbourne, Southwick, Tadworth, Tattenham Corner, Uckfield, Upper Warlingham, Warblington, West Worthing, Whyteleafe, Whyteleafe South, Wivelsfield, Woldingham, Woodmansterne. Total – 53 stations FULLY STAFFED – STAFFED FROM THE FIRST TO LAST TRAIN Angmering, Ashstead, Balham, Barnham, Battersea Park, Bexhill, Bognor Regis, Brighton, Carshalton, Carshalton Beeches, Caterham, Cheam, Chichester, Coulsdon South, Coulsdon Town, Crawley, Dorking, East Croydon, East Dulwich, East Grinstead, Eastbourne, Epsom, Falmer, Gatwick Airport, Gipsy Hill, Hackbridge, Haywards Heath, Horley, Horsham, Hove, Kenley, Lancing, Leatherhead, Lewes, Littlehampton, Merstham, Mitcham Eastfields, Mitcham Junction, Norbury, North Dulwich, Oxted, Peckham Rye, Polegate, Portslade, Purley, Queens Road Peckham, Redhill, Reigate, Reedham, Riddlesdown, Sanderstead, Selhurst, Shoreham-By-Sea, South Bermondsey, South Croydon, Streatham, Streatham Common, Streatham Hill, Sutton, Thornton Heath, Three Bridges, Tulse Hill, Waddon, Wallington, Wandsworth Common, West Norwood, Worthing. Total – 68 Stations.

Ports: EU Law

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy that the EU Port Services Regulation is not replaced in UK law after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr John Hayes: The Government does not believe that the Ports Services Regulation is necessary or desirable.However, until we leave, EU law will continue to apply to the UK. The Department will continue to work alongside the Department for Exiting the European Union, which has the responsibility for leading the negotiations to leave the EU, and for the future relationship between the UK and EU.

Joint Air Quality Unit

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2016 to Question 49572, how often the Joint Air Quality Unit working group has (a) met to date and (b) will meet routinely.

Mr John Hayes: The Joint Air Quality Unit is a permanent team that was formally established in April 2016. The unit leads on the delivery of the national air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide, published in December last year. Around a third of the Joint Air Quality Unit’ s staff is drawn from Department for Transport (DfT) with the remaining two thirds being made up of Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) staff. Both Defra and DfT members of the unit have Defra as their primary working location. Consequently, DfT and Defra members of the team have worked, and will continue to work, together on a daily basis.

Shipping

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the measures in the Nautilus Charter for Jobs; and if he will review his Department's policies on training and education for UK seafarers in response to that charter.

Mr John Hayes: The Maritime Growth Study published in September 2015 identified the need for a skilled workforce to support the future growth of the UK maritime sector. The government accepted all the recommendations and work is underway to implement them. The 10 point charter presented by Nautilus provides a valuable contribution as we collectively look to explore ways to deliver across the maritime skills and training agenda.

Public Transport: Carbon Emissions

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to encourage commuters to use carbon-free public transport in (a) England and (b) Cumbria.

Andrew Jones: We are taking a series of measures to help commuters and others use carbon free transport, and will continue to promote public transport choices, supporting the market for innovative forms of transport and encourage a move to cleaner and lower carbon vehicles. By improving the whole journey, how each part connects and how to better integrate those parts, more people will have the choice to use greener transport for their journeys. For instance, the £30m Low Emission Bus Scheme will be funding over 320 Low Emission Buses in England over the period 2016-19. Furthermore, with the help of nearly £30m Government funding, we have trebled the number of cycle parking spaces at stations since 2010. We are spending more than £600 million by 2020 to support ultra low emission vehicles including significant funding to support the introduction of ultra low emission taxis. Cumbria County Council were allocated £4.89m from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund for 2011 to 2015 and just under £1m for 2015-16 to deliver high quality transport and connectivity improvements from key transport gateways in Cumbria to major visitor destinations. The Growth Deal agreed between Government and Cumbria LEP in July 2014 contained over £12m of funding for five projects that promote the use of sustainable transport, which included improved access to rail stations at Maryport and Workington, along with new cycling and walking infrastructure in Carlisle, Kendal and at key visitor attractions in the National Park.

Heathrow Airport

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the oral statement on Airport Capacity of 25 October 2016, Official Report, column 163, on what evidential basis the figure of £61 billion was calculated for the economic benefit to the UK of expanding that airport; and what the reasons are for the difference between that figure and the £211 billion estimated by the Airports Commission.

Mr John Hayes: The estimate of £61 billion includes the benefits to passengers and the wider economy of a new northwest runway at Heathrow, and was derived using established government appraisal techniques. The Airports Commission’s equivalent figure for the Heathrow Northwest runway scheme was £69 billion. The difference between the Commission’s and the DfT’s estimates reflects the DfT’s further consideration of wider economic impacts included in these figures. Additionally, the Airports Commission used innovative modelling to estimate how airport expansion could impact on the growth in UK annual gross domestic product (GDP). The £211 billion figure represents the Commission’s estimate of the GDP impact in one of their five scenarios (“global growth”), which assumed higher global GDP growth than their central scenario. GDP and economic benefit measures are not comparable in their approach or purpose.

London City Airport: Noise

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2016 to Question 48758, what steps have been taken to measure the effect of noise caused by flights going to and from London City Airport in Eltham constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: As stated in the Government’s 2013 Aviation Policy Framework, the Government expects airports to help local communities understand the noise impacts they are affected by, through monitoring and provision of information. It is the responsibility of the airport to determine what monitoring is appropriate and to carry out such monitoring. London City currently operates four noise monitoring terminals around the perimeter of the airport. Further details can be found in the airport’s noise action plan at the link below: https://www.londoncityairport.com/content/pdf/Noise_Action_Plan_2013_2018.pdf Under the terms of a previous planning agreement, the airport is also required to produce annual noise contours as part of its annual performance report. Further details, including noise contours for 2015 and a summary of planning agreement requirements, can be found at the link below: http://lcacc.org/meeting-papers-key-documents/airport-annual-performance-report/

London City Airport: Noise

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 48759, what measures are in place to minimise the noise footprint around London City Airport; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: In addition to the operating restrictions referred to in my answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 48759, London City Airport also has other measures to reduce its noise footprint including limits on the number of flights that are allowed to operate on specific days of the year, restrictions which prevent the noisiest aircraft from operating at the airport, and various operational procedures such as a minimum height at which an aircraft must join the airport’s instrument landing system (ILS). Aircraft also follow a steep descent of 5.5 degrees when approaching the airport, higher than 3 degree standard recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation and used by other airports, which keeps aircraft higher for longer. More details of the measures used to address noise at the airport can be found in its noise action plan at the web address below:https://www.londoncityairport.com/aboutandcorporate/page/noiseandtrackkeepingsystem

Shipping: Environment Protection

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what objectives his Department set for the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organisation of 24 to 28 October 2016; and what progress was made against those objectives.

Mr John Hayes: The high level objectives set for the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) by the UK included the agreement of a data collection system for fuel consumption, an agreement on the revision of the Ballast Water Convention type approval Guidelines, the acceptance of a proposal to designate the North Sea as a NOx emissions control area and the adoption of 2020 as the date of entry into force for a global limit on the sulphur content of fuels. The MEPC was a successful meeting for the UK and all objectives were met.

Ashley Hill Station

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the re-opening of the Ashley Hill railway station in Bristol West constituency.

Paul Maynard: A new station at Ashley Down is one of the options for Phase 2 of the MetroWest scheme promoted locally by the West of England Partnership consortium of the four local authorities covering the wider Bristol area. The Department for Transport understands that Phase 2 is currently at an early stage of development. More information is available from the West of England Partnership.

Exhaust Emissions: Standards

Mr Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to establish the best means by which high-polluting vehicles can be accurately and efficiently identified to facilitate enforcement action.

Andrew Jones: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency deals with the front line enforcement of high polluting vehicles. This is primarily dealt with at the annual roadworthiness test, which DVSA administers, where exhaust emissions are checked once a vehicle becomes subject to testing due to its age. If the vehicle fails this test, the vehicle cannot be used on roads until the excess pollution is remedied. DVSA enforce emission outputs from the commercial vehicle fleet. When vehicles are seen to emit visual smoke, enforcement action is taken. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency also operates a Smoky Vehicle hot-line where anyone can report a smoky vehicle online and DVSA will then make follow up enquires about the vehicle.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Armed Forces

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to support current and ex-service personnel to find a home.

Gavin Barwell: We are determined to ensure that current and former members of the Armed Forces gain the housing they deserve, recognising the sacrifices they have made for the country in line with the commitment of the Covenant.We therefore changed the law by regulation in 2012 to ensure that seriously injured serving personnel and former members of the Armed Forces with urgent housing needs are always given ‘additional preference’ (high priority) for social housing; and councils are prevented from applying local connection requirements to disqualify members of the Armed Forces and those within 5 years of leaving the Services from their waiting list.Our 2012 statutory social allocations guidance goes further and sets out how councils’ allocation schemes can give priority to all Service families, including through the use of local preference criteria and local lettings policies.We also introduced measures to make it easier for those with aspirations of home ownership to own their own home. This includes giving former Service personnel and their surviving partners priority for government funded shared ownership schemes for 12 months after service which has now been extended to 24 months. They are also able to access Government-funded home ownership schemes including Help to Buy.We are also removing the age restriction for eligibility for starter homes which allows homes to be sold at a 20% discount to market value for eligible first time buyers, for injured military services personnel and bereaved spouses.

Local Government: Translation Services

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the annual cost to local authorities of translating documents into different languages and employing interpreters.

Mr Marcus Jones: Information on the costs incurred by local authorities in relation to translating documents and employing interpreters is not collected by the Department.

Local Government: Accountability

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on reviewing the cost of democratic arrangements to ensure that they promote good governance and provide value for money.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Local Government Transparency Code 2015 requires councils to publish information about how they use their assets, spend money and make decisions. This increases local democratic accountability and makes it easier for local people to contribute to local decision making. Additionally, local authorities are required, through Section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999, to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in how their functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Compulsory Purchase: Compensation

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the (a) minimum and (b) maximum amount payable is under the Home Loss Payments (Prescribed Amounts) (England) Regulations 2015.

Gavin Barwell: The Home Loss Payments (Prescribed Amounts) (England) Regulations 2015 have been replaced by the 2016 Regulations SI 2016 No. 789. These regulations apply where the displacement is on or after 1st October 2016.The minimum payment is £5,800 and the maximum payment is £58,000 for qualifying owner occupiers.A flat rate payment of £5,800 is made for qualifying tenants.

Local Government Finance

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on budget setting processes to ensure (a) value for money for residents and (b) the delivery of core frontline services.

Mr Marcus Jones: All local authorities are required by law to set a balanced budget each year, and to appoint an officer who has responsibility to report on the reasonableness of assumptions underpinning each budget. Local authority functions are set out in numerous Acts of Parliament and many of these functions have associated legal duties. Local authorities are democratically elected organisations, and as such are responsible for decisions on how to achieve value for money in line with local circumstances and priorities.

Fracking: Planning Permission

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether there is a process in place for local authorities to challenge central government decisions in relation to the allowing of hydraulic fracturing activities.

Gavin Barwell: Local authorities may challenge a decision by the Secretary of State to grant planning permission for such activities by making an application for permission to bring a legal challenge in the High Court.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: European Commission

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which EU commissioners he has met since taking office; and when and where such meetings took place.

Mr Nick Hurd: Members of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Ministerial team have met with a number of Commissioners and officials from the European Commission including at recent meetings of the Environment Council and Competitiveness Council where Commissioners Cañete and Bienkowska and Senior Vice President Katainen were present.

Mining: Subsidence

Mr Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is his Department's policy that compensation for subsidence damage under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 is in line with the Code of Practice which was based upon the Land Compensation Act 1973.

Jesse Norman: The Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 and the Coal Industry Act 1994 set out the duties on the Coal Authority in relation to coal mining subsidence and includes provisions for purchase of properties and home loss payments. Principles relating to compensation reflect similar principles referred to in other codes of practice relating to compulsory purchase procedures instigated by other public bodies. However, the Coal Authority has no compulsory purchase rights relating to subsidence. There are, however, differences in the minimum and maximum degree of compensation paid.

Tidal Power

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the potential economic benefits of tidal power lagoons will be considered in the development of the Government's new Industrial Strategy.

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to include tidal power lagoons in the forthcoming industrial strategy.

Mr Nick Hurd: The independent review on Tidal Lagoons in the UK, headed by Charles Hendry will report towards the end of the year and will consider, among other things, whether and in what circumstances tidal lagoons could play a cost effective role in the energy mix.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with EU Science Commissioner Carlos Moedas on potential discrimination against UK academics who bid for EU funding.

Joseph Johnson: I am in close contact with Commissioner Moedas, who has responsibility for EU science, research and innovation and we have both publicly emphasised the importance of continuing to work together to produce high quality research. In addition, the European Commission has made it clear that while the UK remains a member of the EU, proposals from, or including, UK applicants must be treated in the same way as applications from other Member States. The Department remains vigilant and open to evidence of problems in this area. Specific instances of these problems can be fed back to the email address [emailprotected]/*  */!function(t,e,r,n,c,a,p){try{t=document.currentScript||function(){for(t=document.getElementsByTagName('script'),e=t.length;e--;)if(t[e].getAttribute('data-cfhash'))return t[e]}();if(t&&(c=t.previousSibling)){p=t.parentNode;if(a=c.getAttribute('data-cfemail')){for(e='',r='0x'+a.substr(0,2)|0,n=2;a.length-n;n+=2)e+='%'+('0'+('0x'+a.substr(n,2)^r).toString(16)).slice(-2);p.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(decodeURIComponent(e)),c)}p.removeChild(t)}}catch(u){}}()/*  */.

Universities: Yorkshire and the Humber

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on research funding across all disciplines in universities in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to maintain and enhance the strength of our research base. This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021 – including £65 million in the North East in 2014/15.The Treasury decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years. We will ensure that the UK, including Yorkshire and the Humber, continues to be a world leader in international research and innovation.

Climate Change Convention: Morocco

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who the UK delegation to the 2017 UN climate negotiations in Marrakech, Morocco will be.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK delegation to the 2016 UN climate negotiations in Marrakesh will include Ministerial representation from the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as well as government officials from BEIS, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Devolved Administrations. The official delegation list will be published on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) website after the negotiations.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Standards

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department is on track to meet the UK target under the Climate Change Act 2008 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80 per cent from the 1990 baseline by 2050.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government remains committed to tackling climate change and to the UK’s Climate Change Act. Climate change remains one of the most serious long-term risks to our economic and national security. We have already made good progress towards our goal, with the first carbon budget covering 2008 to 2012 being met. Provisional statistics indicate that UK emissions in 2015 were 38% lower than in 1990, and 3% below those in 2014.We are looking ahead to our emissions reduction plan which will set out how we will reduce emissions through the 2020s, keeping us on track for our 2050 target.

Weather: Warnings

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to improve the resolution of weather warning systems.

Joseph Johnson: The Met Office is committed to improving the accuracy of its weather forecasts on a continuous basis. Further improvements to the Met Office’s high resolution forecast model and systems are planned during the next twelve months, enabled by our investment in the new Met Office supercomputer. These improvements will provide additional local detail within rainfall forecasts for Cumbria and across the rest of the UK and also help to better quantify the uncertainty within rainfall predictions. This will enable the Met Office to provide earlier, more accurate and more detailed warning of severe weather and help the UK to be more resilient and better prepared for high impact events.

Nissan: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to Nissan's announcement of 27 October 2016 on the production of the next Qashqai and X-Trail models in the UK, what support and assurances the Government has offered to that company.

Mr Nick Hurd: I refer the hon Member to the statement made by my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State to the House on this matter on 31 October 2016, Official Report col 679-80.

Nissan: Sunderland

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Answer of 17 October 2016 to Question LH2367, what steps his Department is taking to ensure small and medium-sized enterprises involved in the supply chain for the production of Nissan vehicles in the North East automotive sector remain competitive.

Mr Nick Hurd: Work by the Automotive Council has identified £6bn per annum additional opportunities for UK suppliers, where they can compete successfully to win this business. The Government is working closely with the Automotive Council and the wider sector to help secure this. Government support for small and medium sized enterprises, including suppliers to Nissan, is provided through the range of measures and competitive funding competitions. This includes the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative, with projects running through to 2019, and the Advanced Propulsion Centre, which promotes collaborative R&D between suppliers and vehicle makers to develop products to improve vehicle efficiency and reduce emissions. As part of a wider programme of long term investment in the North East, the Sunderland and South Tyneside City Deal includes a £5million government investment in a new Advanced Manufacturing Park, which will support the local automotive supply chain. Further support is provided by the North East Automotive Alliance, which runs a supplier competitiveness programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Location

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of senior civil service graded posts in his Department classified as (i) deputy director, (ii) assistant director, (iii) team leader and (iv) policy manager have been based outside London in each year since 2014.

James Brokenshire: In my Department the proportion of Senior Civil Service staff classified as Deputy Director based outside London over the period requested was as follows: In 2014, two out of six; this is 33.3%.In 2015, two out of six; this is 33.3%.In 2016, two out of seven; this is 29%. These were based in my Belfast office. I have no Senior Civil Service staff classified as assistant director, team leader or policy manager.

Northern Ireland Office: Apprentices

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many apprenticeships have been created in his Department in each region in each of the last five years; and how many participants in those apprenticeships subsequently secured a job within the Civil Service.

Kris Hopkins: In light of the Government’s manifesto commitment to achieve three million new apprenticeship starts in England by the end of the Parliament, the Cabinet Office will be centrally collecting data on apprenticeships to allow the Civil Service to report on its contribution towards the national target. One apprenticeship has been created in my Department to date. This is based in London and commenced in February 2016. I am therefore unable to comment on whether the apprentice will later secure a job in the Civil Service. As my department has 42 staff based in England this meets the apprenticeship target set by the Civil Service.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: Meetings

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings (a) he and (b) other Ministers of his Department have had with representatives of the (i) aerospace, (ii) automotive, (iii) construction, (iv) life sciences and (v) tech sectors.

Mr Robin Walker: Ministers and officials from across the Government are working with a variety of stakeholders from all sectors including aerospace, automotive, construction, life sciences and technology. DExEU Ministers will continue to closely support this work. Details of Ministerial meetings will be published in the Department’s Quarterly Transparency Returns, which will be made publicly available on GOV.UK.

Attorney General

Police: Convictions

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Attorney General, how many times (a) police and (b) police community support officer defendants have been convicted since the Crown Prosecution Service's victims' right to review in June 2013.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Attorney General, how many times a victim has sought a review of a Crown Prosecution Service decision to leave all charges in the proceedings to lie on file since June 2013; how many such cases have related to a police officer or a police community support officer (PCSO); how many reviews have led to a reversal; and how many cases which resulted in reversal have related to a police officer or a PCSO.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Attorney General, how many times a victim has sought a review of a Crown Prosecution Service decision to end all proceedings since June 2013; how many such cases related to a police officer or a police community support officer (PCSO); how many reviews have led to a reversal; and how many cases which resulted in reversal have related to a police officer or a PCSO.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Attorney General, how many times a victim has sought a review of a Crown Prosecution Service decision to offer no evidence in all proceedings since June 2013; how many such cases related to a police officer or a police community support officer (PCSO); how many reviews have led to a reversal; and how many cases which resulted in reversal have related to a police officer or a PCSO.

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Attorney General, how many times since June 2013 a review has been requested of a Crown Prosecution Service decision not to prosecute; how many of those requests related to a police officer or a police community support officer (PCSO); how many of those decisions were reversed; and how many of those that were reversed related to a police officer or a PCSO.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service’s Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) Scheme came into effect on the 5th June 2013. Between this date and the 31st March 2016, the CPS made 354,097 qualifying decisions which were subject to review under the scheme. The CPS have subsequently reviewed 4,689 VRR appeals of which 570 (0.16% of the total qualifying decisions) were upheld. The CPS does not maintain a central record of the type of employment a suspect or defendant is engaged in. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Education

Adventure Learning Academy Trust and Bright Tribe Multi-academy Trust

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library copies of the cost assurance statements prepared by Bright Tribe Multi-Academy Trust and Adventure Learning Academies Trust in relation to the requirement that the trusts were meeting at cost principles for related party transactions.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library a copy of the report about Bright Tribe Multi-Academy Trust prepared by the Risk Analysis Division of the Education Funding Agency.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library copies of the action plans by Bright Tribe Multi-Academy Trust and Adventure Learning Academies Trust in response to the request made to them by the Education Funding Agency.

Edward Timpson: The Education Funding Agency is due to publish a report about Bright Tribe Trust. This final report will include the Trust’s progress in implementing recommendations set out by the EFA in December 2015; and will incorporate how assurance is obtained that services are provided at cost. Once this report is published, a copy will be placed in the Library.

Schools: Asbestos

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to remove the presence of asbestos on school sites in (a) England and Wales and (b) Derby North constituency.

Nick Gibb: The issue of asbestos in schools is a serious one. Policy on the effective management and removal of asbestos at Welsh school sites is devolved to the Welsh Government, but in England it is one of the department’s priorities in order to ensure that our schools are safe for children and teachers. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is the lead regulator on managing asbestos, advise that as long as asbestos is in good condition and unlikely to be damaged or disturbed, it is not a significant risk to health. The Department directly funds the removal of asbestos through schemes such as the Priority Schools Building Programme and provides capital funding for asbestos management and removal where appropriate for those schools that have identified that asbestos is in poor condition or poses a high risk of deterioration. We also provide support to those who are legally responsible for managing asbestos in schools by providing targeted guidance to schools on the effective management of asbestos in their schools. The duty holder has the legal responsibility of effectively managing asbestos in schools. In schools where asbestos poses a high risk of disturbance or is deteriorating, the duty holder should remove asbestos using capital funding that has been provided by the Department. The Department is not committing to the removal of asbestos in all schools, as blanket and accelerated removal of asbestos in schools is potentially more dangerous and may involve greater risk to school children and staff. It is, however, the aim of the government that, over time, as more school buildings are replaced and refurbished, all asbestos will be removed from schools.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of allowing schools to admit children from one religion on integration and social cohesion.

Caroline Dinenage: All schools must promote integration and social cohesion whatever their character and ethos. The Department is currently consulting on proposals to remove the 50% cap on faith admissions in new faith free schools. We have proposed additional measures to promote inclusivity and community cohesion, alongside existing requirements to promote fundamental British values, which will apply to all new faith free schools. These are aimed at ensuring all pupils can play an active role in our society and are prepared for life in modern Britain. The consultation document is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

Free Schools

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) business-led, (b) Muslim-led, (c) Church of England-led, (d) Roman Catholic-led schools, (e) other faith schools and (f) other free schools have been announced in each year since the free school programme started.

Edward Timpson: Free school applicants are invited to describe the nature of their group; most will describe the group in terms of the schools they already have, for example, a multi-academy trust or a chain of free schools. Some groups will use terms such as a group of parents or teachers.There are a number of free schools that have strong business links but only the Cathedral Free School in Liverpool has described itself as business-led.As faith free school applicants may use a variety of terms to describe their group, the table below provides a breakdown of applications approved into the pre-opening phase by the faith designation of the school (b)-(d), with (e) being applications approved into the pre-opening phase with no faith designation. “Other faith designations” includes Christian schools where the denomination has not been specified. Muslim faith DesignationChurch of England faith DesignationRoman Catholic faith designationOther faith designationsOther free schools2010 (Wave 1)1103192011 (Waves 1 and 2)1317612012 (Wave 3)32113852013 (Wave 4)6008892014 (Waves 5, 6 and 7)02011722015 (Waves 8, 9, and free school presumptions)3007632016 (Waves 10, 11, and free school presumptions)3606143 Not all applications approved into the pre-opening phase go on to open as schools. Some projects are deferred, withdrawn or cancelled, and some schools have closed. Deferral or cancellation can be for a variety and sometimes a combination of reasons, but overall it will have been because the department did not believe the free school trust was ready to open a free school offering a good or better education.Contributory factors include a lack of site or building, insufficient pupil recruitment, under-developed leadership and/or governance arrangements. In each case, decisions will have been based on the progress of the project or school, and will have balanced the risk of opening on the original date, or remaining open, against all the elements needed to be in place for a successful school.In the case of open free schools, they will have closed because they were not delivering a good or better education.

Faith Schools: Disadvantaged

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the relative proportion of children from poorer backgrounds who attend religiously selective schools.

Caroline Dinenage: Underlying data for ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ provides information for each school, including religious denomination (where applicable), alongside the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016

Home Education

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evaluations and inspections are carried out on parents who home school their children to ensure that expected progress is made and the appropriate curriculum covered.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school aged children in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Rushcliffe and (c) Nottinghamshire have been home educated in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Caroline Dinenage: Responsibility for providing a suitable full-time education for children of compulsory school age who are educated at home rests with the parents. Although local authorities do not have a power to monitor such provision on a routine basis, they are under a duty to identify children who are not receiving a suitable full-time education, and as part of that process take appropriate steps to ensure that if a child is not being properly educated at home, a school attendance order is served. There is published departmental guidance to local authorities on this matter at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/288135/guidelines_for_las_on_elective_home_educationsecondrevisev2_0.pdf The information requested on numbers of pupils that are home educated is not collected centrally. Although some local authorities operate voluntary registration schemes, there is no legal obligation for the registration of home educated children.

Academies: Civil Proceedings

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many legal cases have been brought against her Department by academy trusts in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education does not keep a central record of legal cases by type.

Schools: Fires

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school fires have been reported in each year since 2005; and what the cost has been of replacing or repairing the buildings affected by such fires in each such year.

Nick Gibb: The numbers of reported school fires in Great Britain are as follows:2005/06: 1,4002006/07: 1,2002007/08: 1,0002008/09: 1,0002009/10: -----2010/11: 8002011/12: 7002012/13: 6002013/14: 600These are National Statistics’ figures published on GOV.UK and are rounded[1]. There are no statistics for 2009/10 as none were published for that year due to an incomplete data set. Since 2014/15 fire statistics are published as England only, with data on ‘educational premises’ including other institutions such as colleges and universities, alongside schools, which is not consistent with the data above. These England only statistics are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-statistics The Government does not hold data centrally on the annual cost of replacing or repairing school buildings following damage by fire. However, the Department is currently collecting data on both the capital costs resulting from fire damage and the costs of providing alternative accommodation. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-statistics-great-britain-2013-to-2014

Free Schools: Admissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of removing the 50 per cent cap on religious selection in free schools on religious tolerance and integration.

Caroline Dinenage: All schools must promote religious tolerance and integration whatever their character and ethos. The Department is currently consulting on proposals to replace the 50% cap on faith admissions in faith free schools with new measures to better promote inclusivity and community cohesion. The proposed measures, alongside existing requirements to promote fundamental British values, will apply to all new faith free schools with 100% faith admissions and help ensure that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain. The consultation document is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

Schools: Admissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to allow Parliament to vote on (a) whether to remove the current 50 per cent cap on religious selection in free schools and (b) other changes to the schools admissions code.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is currently consulting on proposals to remove the 50% cap on faith admissions in new faith free schools. The outcome of the consultation and government response will be presented to Parliament. The consultation document, 'Schools that work for everyone', is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyoneAny changes to the Schools Admissions Code are subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Free Schools: Admissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of removing the 50 per cent cap on religious selection in free schools on the ability of parents to get their children into a local school.

Caroline Dinenage: We want a diverse range of schools to give parents greater choice and drive up standards. The proposals set out in our consultation, 'Schools that Work for Everyone', aim to increase local capacity by enabling a wider group of providers to establish new schools. The proposal to remove the 50 per cent cap on religious selection in new free schools has, for some faith groups, been a barrier to setting up new schools. The removal of the cap and the establishment of new faith schools will add to the overall stock of places and should increase choice for parents.

Faith Schools: Admissions

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of changes to the cap on religious selection on the opening of new Catholic state schools.

Caroline Dinenage: Some faith groups, including the Catholic Church, have felt unable to open new schools through the free schools route because they believe it contravenes religious rules. This has meant, for example, that in areas where there has been significant growth in the Catholic population, the Catholic Church has not set up sufficient school places to meet demand.We want more high quality providers to be able to set up new schools and we are consulting on how best to do that. The consultation document, 'Schools that work for everyone' is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

Schools: Transport

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has any plans to extend her Department's policy of free school transport for children between eight and 16 years old living over three miles from their school to match the compulsory school leaving age of 18 years old.

Caroline Dinenage: The government has no current plans to extend the home to school statutory entitlement beyond the age of 16. It is helpful to be clear initially that young people do not need to be in school beyond the age of 16. There are a range of ways that young people can fulfil their duty to participate in education and training until they are 18, as well as staying at school. Options include apprenticeships or part-time paid work together with study. The statutory responsibility for transport to education and training for 16 to 19 year olds remains with local authorities, enabling them to make decisions and arrangements which best match local needs and circumstances. Arrangements do not have to include free or subsidised travel; however, local authorities are expected to make reasonable decisions based on the needs of their population, the local transport infrastructure and the resources they have available. Most 16 to 19 year olds have access to a discount or concession on local travel, from their local transport provider, their local authority, or from their education or training provider. Providers can also use the 16-19 Bursary Fund to support young people with the costs associated with attending education or training. This is often used to support transport for disadvantaged young people.

Faith Schools: Standards

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of the selection processes used by faith schools on academic attainment in those schools.

Caroline Dinenage: Faith schools are amongst some of the highest performing in this country and are more likely to be rated good or outstanding by Ofsted as compared to non-faith schools. The department does not routinely collect information about individual schools’ admission arrangements. Schools designated with a religious character can choose to give priority to children on the basis of their faith, where the school is oversubscribed. It is though for the admission authority of the school to decide whether or not to prioritise some or all of their places on the basis of faith within their oversubscription criteria.On 9th September the Prime Minister announced that we will remove the 50 per cent cap on new faith free schools and consult on a new set of much more effective requirements to ensure that new faith free schools are properly inclusive. The consultation document, 'Schools that work for everyone', is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

Pupils: Public Transport

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of children who rely on public transport to get to school in (a) England and (b) the North East.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Education does not hold data on the number of children who use public transport for their home to school journeys. While we do oversee the school transport policy and legislative framework which determines the duties of local authorities and we support this through the Local Government Finance Settlement, we do not prescribe the type of arrangements or modes of transport that can be used locally. The Department for Transport does however, undertake an annual National Travel Survey which includes data on the modes of school travel. The 2015 survey, including regional level data, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-travel-survey-2015

Physical Education

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to improve on the Sport England strategy to develop physical literacy in schools during this current Parliament.

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to take advantage of new technologies such as activity and exercise tracking to improve childrens' fitness and physical literacy in schools.

Edward Timpson: We want all pupils to be healthy and active, and have given schools the freedom to deliver a diverse and challenging PE curriculum that best suits the needs of their pupils. PE is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum. The programme of study sets the expectation that schools should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically confident in a way that supports their health and fitness. Through the primary PE and sport premium, primary schools have already received over £450 million of ring-fenced funding to provide additional and sustainable improvements to their PE and sport provision. In an independent evaluation, 84% of schools reported an increase in pupil engagement in PE during curricular time and in the levels of participation in extra-curricular activities. Schools can decide how best to use this funding, and may elect to bring in additional resources and technologies if they feel this would provide additional and sustainable improvements to their PE and sport provision. The Government has committed to doubling the funding to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy. In the new Sport Strategy, the Government has committed to support children and young people to develop the confidence and skills to take part and to be positive about sport and activity. As part of this work, we will be exploring how to further increase physical literacy standards in primary schools and considering how we can track levels of physical activity to help support children to have healthy and active lives.

Pupil Premium

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school pupils in each year group in each (a) region and (b) local authority receive the pupil premium.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school children in each academic year have been eligible for the pupil premium in each year since it was introduced; and how much the Government has spent on pupil premium for primary age pupils in each year group in each academic year to date.

Edward Timpson: Information on the overall number of pupils eligible for the deprivation pupil premium in primary and secondary schools and the associated funding allocated is available in the school-level pupil premium allocations, which are published on the department’s website. Data for service child, looked after, and post-looked after pupil premium are also included, but are not broken down by school phase. Links to the data for each year since the pupil premium was introduced are provided below.[1] The information is available by region and local authority, but the pupil premium is not calculated by year group. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-conditions-of-grant-2016-to-2017 - click on ‘Pupil premium final allocations 2016 to 2017 by local authority area and region in England’https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2015-to-2016-allocations#history https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2014-to-2015-final-allocations https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-2013-to-2014-final-allocation-tables https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-funding-tables-2012-to-2013 http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130123124929/http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/adminandfinance/financialmanagement/schoolsrevenuefunding/settlement2012pupilpremium/a0070267/dsg-and-pupil-premium-allocations-for-2011-12

School Choice

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it the Government's policy to ensure that schools are open to pupils from a range of different religious and non-religious backgrounds.

Caroline Dinenage: We want all parents to have a real choice about which school their children attend irrespective of their background. It is also important that all schools: promote inclusivity; enhance understanding of other faiths and those with no faith; promote community cohesion; and prepare children and young people for life in modern Britain. Regardless of whether or not they have a religious character, schools should enable pupils of all faith and of no-faith to play a full part in the life of the school.We are currently consulting on proposals to enable more high quality providers of schools, including faith schools, to establish new schools which, alongside our investment in the free schools programme, will improve choice for all.The consultation document is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/school-frameworks/schools-that-work-for-everyone

Pupils: Mental Health Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to monitor and support the mental health of (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils.

Edward Timpson: Good mental health and resilience are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing. All schools have an important role to play in supporting the mental health of children and young people. We are currently conducting a nationally representative survey of primary schools, secondary schools and colleges asking them what approaches they use and what they find are the most effective. The results should be available next spring. To help schools to develop ‘whole-school’ approaches that meet the needs of their pupils we have provided them with a range of information, support, advice and guidance. This includes guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans to teach about mental health in personal, social and health education across all four key stages; the provision of free on-line support for teachers and other professionals working with children and young people, on a range of mental health issues, through MindEd (https://www.minded.org.uk); guidance on behaviour and mental health; and revised and updated guidance on how primary and secondary schools can provide effective school-based counselling.However, teachers are not mental health specialists and need to know how to help pupils access specialist support. We have contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to improve local knowledge and develop effective referrals to allow pupils to access timely specialist support, where needed. The Department of Health has also commissioned a new prevalence survey, which should provide updated information on a range of specific mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. This is due to report in 2018. The Government is making £1.4 billion available over the course of this parliament to transform local children and young people’s mental health services.

University Technical Colleges

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average cost was of opening a university technical college in the last three years.

Edward Timpson: The total pre-opening revenue expenditure for university technical college projects that opened, or were withdrawn or cancelled in 2010 to 2015 is published on at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revenue-spending-on-open-and-withdrawn-utcs-and-studio-schools The total pre-opening revenue expenditure for the 11 university technical college projects that opened in 2016 will be published in due course. The capital costs of completed university technical college projects since 2011 are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-funding-for-open-free-schools

University Technical Colleges

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many university technical colleges have (a) closed and (b) converted to an academy or free school since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Three University Technical Colleges (UTCs) have closed since 2010. These are Black Country UTC and Hackney UTC, which closed in August 2015, and Central Bedfordshire UTC in August 2016.One UTC has converted into a free school (i.e. a new academy), namely UTC Royal Borough of Greenwich, which ceased to be a UTC in August 2016 and became the Royal Greenwich Trust School.

Kings Science Academy

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the successful Free School application form for the Kings Science Academy, Bradford.

Edward Timpson: In the interests of transparency, from January 2015, the Department began to publish all appropriately redacted successful free school applications on GOV.UK. Due to an on-going police investigation into alleged fraud at Kings Science Academy, its free school application was not published at that time. The legal proceedings now have concluded and we will publish the appropriately redacted original application in due course.

University Technical Colleges

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many university technical colleges she expects to be open by 2020.

Edward Timpson: There are currently 48 University Technical Colleges open and a further seven, which plan to open from 2017, are in development.

Academies: Sponsorship

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a list stating the value of each grant that has been awarded by her Department to each academy sponsor matched to a school with an Academy Order; and what the average value is of those grants that have been made under the provisions of the Education and Adoption Act 2016.

Edward Timpson: As of 24 October 2016, there have been 33 grant payments made as a result of an Academy Order being issued under the provisions of the Education and Adoption Act 2016. They consist of the following:Grants PaidTotal 1 part payment of grant of £45,000£45,00022 grants of £70,000£1,540,0002 grants of £80,000£160,0007 grants of £90,000£630,0001 grant of £110,000£110,000Grand Total£2,485,000 This brings an average cost of £75,303 supporting these sponsored academies. The details of the grant amounts can be found on page 4 of the Sponsored academies funding Advice for sponsors document. This guidance is published online and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511128/sponsored_academies_funding_advice_for_sponsors.pdfThis does not include any award of sponsor capacity fund (SCF) which may previously have been made to relevant sponsors as part of their developing greater capacity to support schools.

Academies: Sponsorship

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 42278, if she will list the (a) schools for which Academy Orders have been made, (b) sponsors matched to each of those schools, (c) local authority area in which each of those schools is located and (d) average time taken to match a sponsor to each of those schools once an Academy Order had been made under the provisions of the Education and Adoption Act 2016.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 July 2016 to Question 42278, what the average time taken has been to match a sponsor with a school once it has been judged by Ofsted to be failing since the Education and Adoption Act 2016 came into force.

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how long, on average, it took to match sponsors with schools where an Academy Order was made in each year before the Education and Adoption Act 2016 came into force.

Edward Timpson: We routinely publish all open academy details and academy projects in development.These details can be easily accessed online and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-developmentThe Sponsored Pipeline tab features a list of Sponsored academy projects currently in progress, the local authority in which they are located and, where applicable, the agreed sponsor.We do not hold data on the time taken to match a sponsor with a school.

Academies

Jo Churchill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools hold academy status in (i) Suffolk, (ii) East Anglia and (iii) England and Wales.

Edward Timpson: The number of academies in East Anglia (Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire) and England are given below. These figures are correct as at October 2016. PrimarySecondarySuffolk6735Norfolk8938Cambridgeshire4330East Anglia199103England3,4302,068 There are no academies in Wales. We routinely publish information on all open academies and academy projects in development and this can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development

Religion: Education

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support she is providing to standing advisory councils on religious education for developing syllabuses.

Nick Gibb: Local authorities currently receive funding through the Education Services Grant to support Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACREs) to develop an agreed syllabus for religious education (RE). Local authorities will continue to receive funding to develop an agreed syllabus for RE once the Education Services Grant has been removed. SACREs and Agreed Syllabus Conferences may use resources that meet the needs of the local area they serve, such as the Religious Education Council’s non-statutory framework for RE which can be found online at: http://resubjectreview.recouncil.org.uk/re-review-report

Free Schools

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools are in temporary accommodation.

Edward Timpson: There are 110 free schools operating from temporary sites. The department ensures that all temporary accommodation is safe and suitable for educational purposes. Opening free schools in temporary accommodation has ensured that we have been able to meet a need for places and support free school trusts to open much needed new schools at the earliest opportunity.

Social Services: Children

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of exempting local authorities from statutory duties to children in social care on the wellbeing of children under the supervision of social workers and children living in care homes or foster homes.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the provision in the Children and Social Work Bill [Lords] to give Ministers the power to exempt local authorities from statutory duties to children under the supervision of social workers and children living in care homes or foster homes.

Edward Timpson: The power to test different ways of working is about creating a controlled environment to allow local authorities to test new approaches to delivering better services for children. This power is not about questioning the fundamentals of what local authorities need to do in relation to children’s safeguarding, but exploring how things could be done better. An Impact Assessment for all measures in the Children and Social Work Bill is available online at: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA16-008.pdf. As the power to test different ways of working simply enables the making of secondary legislation it is not possible to assess the impact of the power as a whole. Individual impact assessments will be produced for each use of the power.  This policy comes directly from our discussions with local authorities, who are telling us that legislation sometimes gets in the way of trying new approaches. During the development of this policy we have engaged with both individual local authorities as well as representative bodies such as the LGA, ADCS, and SOLACE. We have worked in particular with our Partners in Practice local authorities, some of the country’s best local authorities, to understand their initial ideas of how they would use the power. The power is not about outsourcing or allowing profit making in children’s social care. To put this point beyond doubt Government has tabled an amendment at report stage of the Children and Social Work Bill to rule out the possibility of the power being used to revisit the established position on children’s social care.

Social Services: Children

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of outsourcing children's social care services and the running of care homes to private companies on the wellbeing of children under the supervision of social workers and children living in care homes or foster homes.

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions her Department has had with private companies on (a) the outsourcing of children's social care services and the running of care homes and (b) other different ways of working in social care.

Edward Timpson: The Government’s position on profit making in Children’s Social Care was set out in Putting Children First – Delivering our vision for excellent children’s social care[1]. We want to support improvement by freeing up good local authorities to be innovative with the solutions they put in place, not by compelling them to outsource. We are not considering options to either centralise wholescale delivery of children’s social care services or allow profit- making organisations to deliver them. The department has no intention of revisiting the settled position of profit making. The department does not hold discussions with private companies wishing to register as a children’s home. Ofsted is the regulator of those organisations wishing to set up as a children’s home. Occasionally, the department may get an inquiry from a private company asking how to register as a children’s home. The Department refers these inquiries to the Ofsted guidance[2]. Occasionally the department engages with all providers of children’s homes on relevant policy, for instance through consultations or events – this will include all types of providers. No discussions have taken place with private companies regarding the power to test different ways of working or the running children’s trusts. The LaingBuisson analysis on the potential for developing the capacity and diversity of children’s social care services in England was commissioned by the Department in response to the 2014 Le Grand review in Birmingham. The Le Grand review recommended a specific study on the options for commissioning when dealing with failing local authorities. We are committed to publishing this independent report and will do so imminently.  Regarding specifically the running of care homes by private companies, in 2016 there was very little difference in the proportion of local authority-run homes that were rated good or better by Ofsted (80%) and private sector homes that were good or better (78%).[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/554573/Putting_children_first_delivering_vision_excellent_childrens_social_care.pdf[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-open-a-childrens-home

Pupil Exclusions: Travellers

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma pupils were excluded from school in each local authority area in 2014-15.

Edward Timpson: The Department has not yet published exclusion information broken down by ethnic group at local authority level for the 2014 to 2015 academic year. It will be published in due course. The information is available at national level in the ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England: 2014 to 2015’ National statistics release[1].[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-in-england-2014-to-2015

Department for Education: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 6 December 2010, Col 7WS, what consideration her Department has given to the articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child when making new policy and legislation since May 2015.

Edward Timpson: On 17 October I laid a Written Ministerial Statement before this House reaffirming the Government’s commitment to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It stated that both the UNCRC articles and the Committee’s recent Concluding Recommendations serve as a helpful and important guide to making sure that our policies – whether they hold direct or indirect consequences – consider children. It is very important that we analyse the impact of polices in relation to particular groups: this is a fundamental part of good policy-making. This is done in a range of ways, particularly through engagement with civil society and professionals. In addition, Cabinet Office guidance encourages all government departments to consider, and set out in summary, the anticipated effects of legislation on children and on the compatibility of draft legislation with the UNCRC. This guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/450239/Guide_to_Making_Legislation.pdf In the Department for Education, impact on children and families is a core consideration when developing policy. This is reflected in reforms since May 2015, such as the Childcare Act (2016) and the Education and Adoption Act (2016). This last reflects, for example: CRC Article 2 on non-discrimination; Article 3 on best interests of the child; Article 28 –on a child’s right to education; Article 20 on children deprived of family environment; and Article 21 on adoption. Impact assessments are regularly undertaken by the Department for Education where children are directly affected by proposed changes. Most recently, on 18 May, the government introduced the Children and Social Work Bill. At that time the Department published an in-depth child rights impact assessment of the Bill’s contents. Secondary legislation will similarly be scrutinised against the CRC.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of funding from her Department for free childcare is retained by each local authority for central services.

Caroline Dinenage: Data from local authority planned spend for 2016-17 is publically available and includes their planned central expenditure for central services and contingency. The data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/planned-la-and-school-expenditure-2016-to-2017-financial-year This data is as reported by the local authorities.

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many childcare providers have breached her Department's statutory guidance issued in September 2014 that states that providers which charge for goods or services do not make this a condition of children accessing their place.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that local authorities are aware of their statutory duty to ensure that childcare providers charge for any goods or services, this is not a condition of children accessing a free childcare place with that provider.

Caroline Dinenage: It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure that providers deliver government-funded early education places free of charge, and that parents are not required to pay for additional services or consumables as a condition of accessing a place. The Government does not require local authorities to report breaches of this requirement centrally; however it has clearly set out local authorities’ responsibility for ensuring there are no compulsory charges for parents. The 2014 Statutory Guidance states that, in relation to delivery of the early education entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds, local authorities should ensure that if providers charge for any goods or services, this is not a condition of children accessing their place. The Statutory Guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/298754/2014_Draft_Statutory_Guidance.pdf We reinforced this position in the consultation on reforms to Early Years Funding which was published on 11 August. This makes clear that providers are free to charge parents for consumables (such as drinks, meals and nappies) or additional services (such as baby yoga, music lessons and trips) provided they are not compulsory. ‘So, for example, paying for additional services must not be a condition of taking up a free publicly-funded place’. The consultation document is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-funding/eynff We will publish updated Statutory Guidance in early 2017, which will restate the Government position on providers charging for additional services or consumables. We have consulted on draft updated Statutory Guidance which is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-funding/childcare-free-entitlement/supporting_documents/STAT%20GUIDANCE%20latest.pdf

Children: Day Care

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to ensure that all local authorities are aware of their duty to clarify the complaints procedure for parents in relation to their entitlement to free childcare.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department for Education is already clear in statutory guidance that local authorities should have a complaints procedure for parents who are not satisfied that their child has received their early education place, or are unhappy with any aspect of the way in which they have received it, and should publicise this to parents. This is set out at C.7 in Statutory Guidance, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/351592/early_education_and_childcare_statutory_guidance_2014.pdf The Department will also include this in the model agreement and the parental declaration template, annexed to the model agreement, which will be published later in the year. The new model agreement and parental declaration template will set out the Department’s expectations on what should be included in agreements between local authorities and childcare providers for delivery of the free early education entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds, in order to bring more consistent practice across different local authorities.

Pre-school Education: Disability

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children with disabilities that are eligible for the early education offer for disadvantaged two-year-olds have taken up that offer in (a) England, (b) each region of England and (c) each local authority.

Caroline Dinenage: The number of two-year-old children with a high level special educational need or disability who benefited from funded early education is published in Table 16LA of the ‘Provision for Children Under 5 years of age’ Statistical First Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2016 The proportion of two-year-old children with disabilities who are eligible for the early education offer and took up the offer is not available.

Pre-school Education: Standards

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of two-year-olds eligible for free 15 hours early education are accessing care in settings that (a) are outstanding, (b) are good, (c) are satisfactory, (d) require improvement and (e) have not been inspected by Ofsted in (i) England, (ii) each region and (iii) each local authority.

Caroline Dinenage: The data requested is published in Table 14LA of the ‘Provision for Children Under 5 years of age’ Statistical First Release: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-january-2016

Social Services: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local authority children's services departments are not run directly by the local authority; and what the nature is of the structure within which each such department operates.

Edward Timpson: There are five Local Authorities in England that do not directly run their children’s social care services: Doncaster, Slough, Kingston, Richmond and the Isle of Wight. Doncaster and Slough Local Authorities’ children’s social care services are delivered by independent organisations – both Companies Limited by Guarantee - called Doncaster Children’s Services Trust and Slough Children’s Services Trust respectively. Kingston and Richmond’s children’s services are delivered by a Community Interest Company called Achieving for Children. The Isle of Wight has a partnership agreement with Hampshire Local Authority where the Hampshire DCS and his children’s services department has full operational responsibility for the Isle of Wight’s children’s services.The Tri-borough partnership (London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and City of Westminster) has combined the delivery of some children’s services across the three local authorities.

Local Safeguarding Children Boards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local safeguarding children's boards have been inspected by Ofsted; and what the ratings of those boards are.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the date and most recent Ofsted rating was of each children's services department.

Edward Timpson: The date and most recent Ofsted rating for each Local Authority children’s services department is published on the Ofsted website and can be accessed here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/results/3/44/any/any/any/any/any/any/any/any/0/0?sort=0 Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards are inspected as part of the Single Inspection framework, and Ofsted’s website also lists the separate sub-judgement awarded to local safeguarding children’s boards.

Ministry of Justice

Immigration: Advisory Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps her Department has taken to stop rogue solicitors and legal advisers from offering immigration advice.

Sir Oliver Heald: Immigration advisers must be registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC) or a member of an approved professional body, for example, the Law Society. The OISC protects customers by setting robust standards for registration, ensuring advisers are fit and competent and act in the best interests of their clients. It is responsible for investigating complaints about registered advisers and investigating and prosecuting those who are providing immigration advice illegally.

Bail Hostels

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders absconded from bail hostels in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The numbers of recalls of offenders for absconding from Approved Premises between 2010/11 and 2015/16, in England and in Wales, are set out below.  EnglandWales2010/111153452011/12986272012/13911412013/14836312014/15753332015/1666221  Public protection is our top priority. When an abscond takes place, the offender is recalled, and the Police are notified and are responsible for locating the offender. We take any breach of licence conditions extremely seriously and offenders who abscond can be sent back to prison.

Electronic Tagging

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many requests from the probation service have been made for offenders to be fitted with electronic tags in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have been fitted with electronic tags following a request from the probation service in each since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Bail Hostels

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders housed in bail hostels have been taken back into custody as a result of notification from bail hostel staff to police in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The National Offender Management Service records offenders who have been returned to custody from Approved Premises under seven categories: absconding, breaches of the Approved Premises Rules, positive drugs tests, increasing risk, breaches of licence conditions, breaches of curfew restrictions, and other reasons. All recalls to custody involve the police, since only they have the legal power to return offenders to custody. The numbers of recalls for any of these reasons between 2011/12 and 2015/16, in England and in Wales, are set out below. These include figures for breach of curfew and absconding, as provided in answer to questions 49931 and 49987 respectively. EnglandWales2010/1124451062011/1224131152012/1323391122013/1423461092014/1524671152015/162125110

Bail Hostels

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offenders have been in breach of curfew conditions at bail hostels in (a) England and (b) Wales in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The National Offender Management Service records only those breaches of curfew restrictions from Probation Approved Premises where offenders are recalled to custody as a result. Curfew breaches, while important, do not necessarily lead to recall. For example, an offender may be only a few minutes late, or may have been unable to return for reasons outside his or her control. In such cases other action may be appropriate instead. 97% of Approved Premises residents complete their time at the Approved Premises without breaching their curfew. The numbers of recalls for breach of curfew between 2011/12 and 2015/16, in England and in Wales, are set out below. Curfew was not recorded separately from other recall reasons in 2010/11. EnglandWales2011/1220522012/1321112013/1423002014/1524022015/1623411 Public protection is our top priority. When an abscond takes place, police are immediately notified and are responsible for locating the offender. We take any breach of licence conditions extremely seriously and offenders who abscond can be sent back to prison.

Immigration: Appeals

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals to the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum) have been awaiting allocation of a hearing for more than (a) six months and (b) twelve months in the last three years for which figures are available.

Sir Oliver Heald: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps her Department has taken to tackle the rise in incidents of violence in male prisons.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Prisons should be places of safety and reform. Improving safety and decreasing violence is an urgent priority for the Government. Earlier in October the Justice Secretary announced that funding of £14million will be given to 10 prisons with some of the highest rates of violence. This will provide for additional staff to implement new offender management arrangements, including dedicated prisoner contact time. We will be setting out our plans for prison safety and reform in a White Paper in the coming weeks, including our plans to reduce prison violence.

Immigration: Appeals

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum).

Sir Oliver Heald: HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has provided an additional 4,500 tribunal sitting days for the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) in this financial year compared to 2015/16. HMCTS keeps performance and resource levels under close review. The Government has also recently published a consultation on expediting appeals from immigration detainees.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is her Department's policy to maintain current transfer arrangements for foreign national offenders with EU member states after the UK leaves the EU.

Sir Oliver Heald: This government is absolutely committed to removing Foreign National Offenders (FNO) to their own countries and since 2010 we have removed over 32,000 FNO’s. There are a number of instruments that we use to remove FNOs, one of which includes the EU Prisoner Transfer Framework Decision. We are working closely across government to consider options for our future arrangements with the EU in regard to criminal justice matters. As the Prime Minister has said, it would not be appropriate to provide a running commentary on the detail of negotiations.

Prisons: Drugs

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to tackle drug use in prisons.

Dr Phillip Lee: The government is determined to tackle the problem of drugs in prisons in England and Wales by addressing both supply and demand. We have introduced new legislation to criminalise supply and possession of psychoactive substances in prison. We have developed and introduced new tests for specified psychoactive substances into all prisons, and have trained 300 dogs to detect such substances. We are working with healthcare partners to provide effective drug treatment programmes and on communications to make sure that prisoners are aware of the dangers of taking psychoactive substances and visitors of the consequences of attempting to bring them in. We will shortly set out further details of our plans to make prisons places of safety and reform in a white paper.

Road Traffic Offences

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will clarify the remit of the review into driving offences and penalties for drivers who cause death or serious injury to other people on the roads.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timescale is for the review into driving offences and penalties for drivers who cause death or serious injury to other people on the roads.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Government is committed to making sure that sentencing for those who kill or cause serious injury on the roads is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation before the end of the year which will look at driving offences and penalties.

Reoffenders

Mr Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce re-offending rates.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A third of all crime is committed by people who have been in prison. If we want to reduce crime, we need to make sure that time spent in custody is used to reform offenders so that they contribute positively to society on release. I will be saying more about this in the White Paper.

Prison Service: Staff

Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to increase prison staffing numbers.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I completely agree with the Honourable Lady that we do need appropriate staffing levels in our prisons. Prison officers are vital, both to maintaining safety but also in terms of turning offenders around. That’s why we’ve announced that in 10 of our most challenging prisons we are increasing staffing levels by 20% by March 2017. I will be saying more on the subject in the White Paper.

Employment Appeal Tribunal: Fees and Charges

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the effect of employment tribunal fees on access to justice.

Sir Oliver Heald: On 11 June 2015 we announced the start of the post-implementation review of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunals. The review is making good progress and I expect to announce its conclusions in due course.

British Nationals Abroad: Rape

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will take steps to ensure that British men accused of rape abroad can be brought to trial in the UK if they cannot be tried overseas.

Sir Oliver Heald: Existing law provides for a male British national accused of raping a person under the age of 18 overseas to be brought to trial in the UK.

Church Commissioners

Church of England: Peterborough

Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what progress has been made on disposing of land at the urban extension at Norwood Peterborough with a view to submitting an outline planning application for residential development to Peterborough City Council; and if she will make a statement.

Dame Caroline Spelman: The Church Commissioners are currently preparing a planning application for an urban extension at Norwood, Peterborough. We are in regular communication with Peterborough City Council and statutory consultees on key technical inputs to support the submission. The application will be made in outline and will be accompanied by an Environmental Statement, which will assess all relevant environmental matters. We anticipate that the planning application will be submitted in the new year.

Ministry of Defence

Royal Naval Reserve

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding his Department has allocated for training members of the Royal Naval Reserve in each of the last five years; and what the projected funding for such training is for each of the next five years.

Mark Lancaster: Both initial and specialist training for members of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is conducted alongside training for Regular Naval Service personnel. it is, therefore, not possible to identify the specific funding for RNR training.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value of current contracts is between his Department and suppliers based in Wales.

Harriett Baldwin: The value of direct contracts alone that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) currently holds with suppliers in Wales is £6.957 billion. This value is based on direct contracts currently held where the prime location of work is identified as Wales, and also includes the share of other contracts where some work is identified as taking place in Wales.The value excludes any work that we have been able to identify as having been sub-contracted to other locations, even where the main supplier is situated in Wales. It also excludes contracts with MOD Trading Funds; miscellaneous payments; pan-Government enabling contracts and other enabling contracts that cover the whole of the MOD estate.

Middle East: Islamic State

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on dealing with the threat posed by Daesh activities in the Middle East.

Sir Michael Fallon: I hold regular discussions with my counterpart, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, on a range of defence and security issues. The Saudi Arabian government has been a leading partner in international efforts to defeat Daesh.Saudi Arabia co-leads the Global Coalition's work to cut Daesh's resources and established the Islamic Military Coalition to Fight Terrorism.

Iraq: Military Intervention

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department was made of the effect that Turkish troops fighting in Iraq have had on the battle to regain Mosul.

Mike Penning: The battle for Mosul is a vital step in the defeat of Daesh in Iraq.The UK is contributing as a member of the Global Counter-Daesh Coalition and welcomes all contributions made by other members of the Coalition in support of the Government of Iraq's offensive to regain the city.

Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 11 of the National Audit Office report, Departmental Overview 2015-16, Ministry of Defence, published on 21 October 2016, if he will provide further details of the £2.1 billion planned savings from improved commercial terms in the Equipment Plan.

Sir Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence plans to deliver £2.1 billion of new efficiency savings over the Spending Review period by: driving a better service in Defence Equipment and Support; delivering savings following from the establishment of the Single Source Regulations Office and continuing the current Equipment Support Costs review.

Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 11 of the National Audit Office report, Departmental Overview 2015-16, Ministry of Defence, published on 21 October 2016, how the reprioritisation of £2 billion of existing funding contributes to his Department's planned savings of £9.2 billion.

Sir Michael Fallon: The £2 billion was centrally held headroom noted in the NAO Major Projects Report 2015 and the Equipment Plan 2015 to 2016. Together with the planned efficiency programme which should deliver £7.2 billion of savings across the life of this Parliament, this will contribute to the planned £9.26 billion savings.

Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 11 of the National Audit Office report, Departmental Overview 2015-16, Ministry of Defence, published on 21 October 2016, from which budget headings the £2 billion planned savings from military and civilian pay restraint referred to in that report will be made.

Sir Michael Fallon: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Military Alliances: USA

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on European and American defence co-operation of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Michael Fallon: NATO will continue to remain the cornerstone of European defence and security and our decision to leave the EU will not undermine the prominent role that we play within the Alliance. Good progress has been made on delivering the NATO-EU co-operation announced at the Warsaw Summit and this was built firmly on the strong trans-Atlantic bond.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.48 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, Cm 9161, what estimate he has made of how many new Mechanised Infantry Vehicles will be in each of the Army's new strike brigades.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Mechanised Infantry Vehicles his Department is planning to procure in the next three years.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the new Mechanised Infantry Vehicle will reach initial operating capability.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Mechanised Infantry Vehicle Programme.

Harriett Baldwin: The Mechanised Infantry Vehicle Project is in the early Concept Phase and has yet to reach Initial Gate. As such, it is too early to provide timescales, numbers or costs.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.48 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, Cm 9161, what estimate he has made of how many new Ajax armoured vehicles will be in each of the Army's new strike brigades.

Harriett Baldwin: AJAX will form the core of the Army's new strike capability. Work is on-going to determine the exact requirements of the vehicles and equipment levels for the brigades providing this capability.

Challenger Tanks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 main battle tanks will equip each of the Army's two new armoured infantry brigades.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to reduce the army's total number of Challenger 2 main battle tanks.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to replace the 120mm L30A1 rifled tank gun with the Rheinmetall 120mm L55 smoothbore gun as part of the Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Challenger 2 Life Extension Programme.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether Challenger 2 main battle tank regiments will form part of the organic capability of the two new armoured infantry brigades referred to in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Harriett Baldwin: The Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank remains a key capability for the British Army in the Government's Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 and Joint Force 2025 plans, which will see the Army structured for a war-fighting division drawn from two Armoured Infantry Brigades and two Strike Brigades. As such the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is investing £53 million in the assessment phase of a Life Extension Programme with further funding allocated for a demonstration and manufacture phase. This will ensure that the Challenger 2 remains amongst the most capable Main Battle tanks in operation with any Army in the world until at least 2035. At this stage these plans do not include a replacement for the main armament but the MOD is open to innovative and affordable proposals that could improve the current capability.

Artillery

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to procure for the Army the M777 155mm lightweight howitzer.

Harriett Baldwin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Rt Hon Earl Howe PC, to the noble Lord, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, in the House of Lords on 26 October 2016 to Question numbers HL2386 and HL2387.



QnA extract on Artillery Procurement
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Ministry of Defence: Procurement

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the procurement decisions it makes benefits from the research and development work undertaken by companies in the UK.

Harriett Baldwin: Research and Development (R&D) is critical to the delivery of battle-winning capability for our Armed Forces and in 2014/15 the Ministry of Defence spent over £1.7 billion on R&D activity, much of that with industry. The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 set out our commitment to dedicate 1.2% of a growing defence budget on science and technology throughout this Parliament. A large proportion of this is delivered by external partners and suppliers.In September this year we launched the Defence Innovation Initiative which is aimed at transforming our creative culture. This includes committing £800 million to an Innovation Fund over the next 10 years. Under this initiative we will remove barriers to creativity and harness the curiosity and ingenuity of the private sector, including companies in the UK, to find solutions to our most pressing defence and security needs.

Armed Forces: Food

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to increase the use of locally produced food in defence establishments.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence encourages British food producers to put themselves forward as conrtactors and gives full consideration to procuring British products.

Military Bases: Closures

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to assess the social and economic effect of closures of military bases and other defence establishments in rural areas.

Mark Lancaster: Decisions to close military bases and other defence establishments are based on the interests of the defence of the whole of the United Kingdom, rather than on the basis of the impact on a specific region. We do not make defence decisions to benefit one local economy or industry over another. It is the duty of Government to make sure that the Defence budget is spent wisely, maximising the resources available on the front line and making sure that every pound counts.

Guided Weapons

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to prepare and improve ground-to-air defences for use by the armed forces.

Harriett Baldwin: Our current Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) capabilities - Rapier and the High Velocity Missile system - are both coming to the end of their planned service life. The Future Force GBAD Air Surveillance programme seeks to provide our future suite of capabilities. The first tranche of this programme will replace Rapier with a new system ensuring there is no capability gap. Subsequent tranches will seek to define and develop the range of capabilities that are required to address the evolving threat environment.

Royal Naval Reserve

Danny Kinahan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to monitor (a) staffing levels and (b) training of Royal Naval Reservists.

Mark Lancaster: Commander Maritime Reserves continually plans and monitors current manning levels as detailed in Future Reserves 2020.Royal Naval Reserves training is delivered by both Regular and Reserves personnel across a variety of locations around the UK and overseas. Training quality and consistency is achieved through audits and inspections conducted by internal and external organisations. In addition, training is subject to an internal feedback system from students and training documentation is reviewed on a three yearly cycle. Instructors are also assessed annually to ensure currency of training.

Armed Forces: Incentives

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid in incentive bonuses to trained regular armed forces personnel who have transferred to the reserve forces in each year since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: The Reserves White Paper 2013 recommended that the Regular to Reserves transfer processes should be streamlined and incentivised. Therefore a Financial Incentive (The Reserves Commitment Bonus) was introduced in 2014 and is offered to encourage ex-Regulars to join the Reserves in order for the Reserves to benefit from their experience and rank, which is vital to training and operational capability. This is highlighted to Army and Royal Air Force (RAF) Regulars coming to the end of their full time service and to the ex-Regular Army and RAF communities. The Maritime Reserves have not offered financial incentives to encourage trained Regular personnel to join the Reserves although the facility exists for them to do so if they believe it is necessary. The planned growth of the trained strength of the Reserve Forces that was set out in December 2013 included targets for trained entrants alongside new entrants. The information requested is provided below based on data from the Joint Personnel Administrative System: Financial Year (FY)Reserves Commitment Bonus2013-14£993,0002014-15£4,684,6002015-16£5,335,600 Notes: The Reserves Commitment Bonus was introduced in 2014.Data is included for FY 2013-14 as some of the payments for the Reserves Commitment Bonus were backdated to 1 January 2014.Data for FY 2013-14 and 2014-15 include figures for the Reserves Commitment Bonus and the Territorial Army Commitment Bonus Early Years which was paid previously for ex-Regulars joining the Army Reserve.Data for FY 2015-16 shows payment of the Reserves Commitment Bonus only.

Navy: Reserve Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained regular (a) sailors and (b) officers transferred into the Royal Naval Reserve in each year since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: This information is set out in the table below.  Calendar Years 20122013201420152016 (To 31 August)Officers20304020~Ratings~205070~Source: Defence Statistics (Tri Service) Notes:Centrally held data for the Royal Naval Reserve dates back to October 2012. Figures therefore show trained Regular personnel who have left the Royal Navy and were either on the strength of the Royal Naval Reserve as at 1 October 2012 or joined thereafter.2. Royal Naval Reserve includes mobilised volunteer reserves, High Readiness Reserves, and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitments. Sponsored Reserves and University Officer Cadets are excluded.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards. Zero is represented by -; ~ represents 5 or fewer.

Air Force: Reserve Forces

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many trained regular (a) airmen, (b) airwomen and (c) officers transferred into the Royal Air Force Reserve in each year since 2010.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is set out below: Outflow from RAF trained Regular other ranks 201020112012201320142015Up to 31 Aug 16Officers~~303020~-Airmen1010203030~-Airwomen-~~10~~-  Royal Air Force Reserves includes mobilised volunteer reserves, High Readiness Reserves and those volunteer reserves serving on Full Time Reserve Service and Additional Duties Commitments. Sponsored Reserves and University Officer Cadets are excluded.

Army: Resignations

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many former soldiers and officers who have now left the regular Army in each year since 2001 have subsequently joined the Army Reserves.

Mark Lancaster: Below is a table showing the number of former soldiers and officers who left the Regular Army and have since joined the Army Reserve.  Calendar YearOfficersOther Ranks200810057020098050020105061020111006302012180770201322096020142201,23020152201,2102016 - 31 August120600  It has only been possible to produce figures from 2008 onwards and personnel have been counted against the calendar year in which they left the Regular Army. They may have joined the Army Reserve at any time since, up to 31 August 2016. The definition of the Army Reserve changed in April 2012. Figures from 2012 onwards refer to the Army Future Reserves 2020 population.  Any individuals who have left the Regular Army and joined the Army Reserve more than once will be counted multiple times in the figures. Source: Defence Statistics (Army)

Army: Termination of Employment

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many soldiers and officers who started their service in the regular Army in each year since 2001 have left that service.

Mark Lancaster: The number of officers and soldiers who joined the Regular Army and have since left is provided below. Calendar YearOfficersOther Ranks20084009,880200935010,34020102404,99020111605,13020121003,9302013502,4202014501,9202015401,9602016 to 31 August20580   It has only been possible to produce figures from 2008 onwards and personnel have been counted against the calendar year in which they joined the Army. They may have left at any time since, up to 31 August 2016. Any individuals who have joined and left more than once will be counted multiple times in the figures. Source: Defence Statistics (Army)

Department for Work and Pensions

Sick Pay and Social Security Benefits: Endometriosis

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of access to sick pay and state benefits for women who suffer from severe endometriosis.

Penny Mordaunt: Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) provides a measure of earnings replacement for employees unable to work because of short-term sickness if they satisfy the qualifying conditions, which are not related to specific medical conditions.Those who are not entitled to SSP or are still unwell at the end of the maximum payment period (28 weeks) may, provided they satisfy the conditions of entitlement, be entitled to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).As two people with the same condition can be affected in different ways, there is no condition-based entitlement to ESA. The Work Capability Assessment recognises that conditions can vary in their severity and therefore people with the same condition could be placed in the Work Related Activity Group, the Support Group or found fit for work.

Welfare Tax Credits

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with which organisations and on which dates his Department has discussed plans to protect survivors of rape and sexual abuse whose third child was born as a result of rape and would wish to claim tax credits in the last year.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials of the Department for Work and Pensions on plans to exempt women who have a third or subsequent child as a result of rape from the Government's plan to limit tax credits to two children per family.

Damian Hinds: The government is aware that the exceptions to the policy to limit the child element in Universal Credit and the individual element in Child Tax Credit to a maximum of two children are sensitive. We contacted a number of organisations in August 2015 and met with several of those organisations in early 2016 to discuss the exceptions. Officials have also discussed this issue between government departments and at wider DWP and HMRC stakeholder meetings.The government launched a consultation on 21 October 2016 to seek evidence and invite views from stakeholders to inform the design of the exceptions and their implementation. All Ministers with an interest are consulted as part of the clearance process for any Government consultation. The consultation document is published online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/universal-credit-and-child-tax-credit-exceptions-to-the-2-child-limitThe consultation closes on 27 November 2016.

Children: Maintenance

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what arrangements he has put in place to assess the effectiveness of the provisions in the 2012 Scheme for varying child support payments following changes in the income of the paying parent.

Caroline Nokes: The 2012 scheme includes an Annual Review of the Non-Resident Parent’s income. If their income is being determined on the basis of Current Income, they are legally required to report any increases of 25% of more in their income level. If they do not, a provision exists for the CMS to backdate a new calculation decision to the point in the year that the change occurred.In addition, a Non-Resident Parent may choose to report a change of circumstance, including changes to their income, to the Child Maintenance Service, which will consider making a new decision about the amount of maintenance due reflecting those changes. Once a decision in relation to the reported change has been made, that decision is notified to both clients.If either parent believes the decision is wrong, they may request the Child Maintenance Service revisit the decision (a Mandatory Reconsideration), after which they may appeal to an independent First-tier Tribunal.

Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 19 of the Children's Society Report entitled the cost of being care free: the impact of poor financial education and removal of support on care leavers, published in 2016, what plans he has to better protect care leavers.

Damian Hinds: We are grateful for this report focusing on care leavers from the Children’s Society, and for their recommendations, which we will consider as part of our continuous review of sanctions policy to ensure the process functions effectively and fairly. I can assure you that where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.For care leavers, as with other claimants, the sanctions process encourages them to prepare for or find work, by meeting their agreed commitments based on their individual circumstances and capabilities, as set out in their Claimant Commitment. This includes both mandatory and voluntary actions care leavers have agreed to undertake. The consequences and implications of not meeting any agreed requirement are clearly set out and explained to them.A decision to apply a sanction is not taken lightly, and claimants are given the opportunity to provide a good reason for not complying before the decision is made.Our primary goal is to help care leavers get into work wherever possible and they receive tailored, locally-appropriate employment support at the earliest opportunity to achieve this.Care leavers, like all claimants, take ownership of planning how they will meet their requirements and ultimately secure employment. They will be supported by their Work Coach who will assist them in meeting their requirements through providing encouragement and direction, using a range of communication methods. Work Coaches support all claimants who require additional support to ensure that they fully understand what they have been asked to do to enable them to access DWP benefits and use our services.

Working Age Benefits: Inflation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 1.137 of the Summer Budget 2015, if he will make an assessment of the effect of recent changes in the level of inflation on the proposed freeze of working age benefits.

Caroline Nokes: Central to the Government’s long term economic plan is the creation of jobs and making work pay. We know that work is the best route out of poverty. Our welfare reforms are about reversing the trend of working age benefits rising faster than earnings since the recession to ensure it pays to work. They are focussed on supporting those people who can work to find and keep work rather than rely on benefits, ensuring fairness and affordability for the tax payer. We are committed to balancing incentivising work with protecting those who cannot work, and helping with the costs of additional needs. That is why benefits for the additional costs of disability, and for carers, are up-rated each year in line with prices.

Social Mobility

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it remains the Government's policy to publish a life chances strategy.

Damian Hinds: I refer the hon. Member to the Written Answer I gave the hon. Member for Barnsley Central, Dan Jarvis on 17 October [47998].

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Finance

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding is allocated internally by the Environment Agency to the (a) capital funding stream and (b) revenue funding stream for flood protection measures.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The document ‘Central Government Funding for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management in England’, published in September 2016, sets out how much Government funding has been allocated to capital and revenue budgets that are administered by the Environment Agency. This is available at the link below.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/549093/Funding_for_Flood_and_Coastal_Erosion_in_England_Sep_2016.pdf

Ivory: Sales

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what account the Government has taken of the number of elephants killed for their ivory since 2010 in assessing the effectiveness of its ban on sales of ivory dating from 1947 to the present day.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Africa’s elephant population has seen the worst declines in 25 years, mainly due to poaching, with a reported decline of around 111,000 over the past decade. The UK’s proposed ban on trade in modern day, post-1947 ivory announced by the Secretary of State on 21 September will send a global message of the need to combat this threat to elephants and put pressure on other countries to act. The ban has not yet entered into force and we will consult on plans early next year. We will have to look at the impact of this change to current controls but it will put UK rules on ivory sales among the world’s toughest.

Home Office

Fire and Rescue Services

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average Fire and Rescue response times were to incidents in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Redcar and Cleveland and (d) Middlesbrough in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 13 October 2016



National Statistics on Fire and Rescue response times are published annually, including response times for other types of fire incident. The most recent publication, for 2014/15, was published in 2015 and can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fire-incidents-response-times-england-2014-to-2015Accompanying data tables can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tablesThe next publication on fire and rescue response times for 2015/16 is due for release in late 2016.

Slavery

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how (a) much funding from the public purse has been allocated to and (b) many full-time equivalent staff were employed by (i) UK Visas and Immigration and (ii) the UK Human Trafficking Centre for their work in relation to the National Referral Mechanism in each of year since 2009-10.

Sarah Newton: Staff in the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit (MSHTU, formally UKHTC), and the Home Office UKVI who engage in work related to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) often undertake additional or different work based on changing priorities. It is therefore not possible to provide figures on the budget and full-time equivalent staff dedicated to the NRM function.

Slavery

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the average length of time people going through the National Referral Mechanism remain supported by the Salvation Army following a Reasonable Grounds decision, in each fiscal year since 2009-10.

Sarah Newton: This information has been provided by the Salvation Army. YEAR, JULY-JUNEAVE. SUPPORT PERIOD, DAYS2011-2012912012-20131152013-2014802014-20151302015-2016129 This data only includes individuals who have received a Conclusive Grounds decision and have exited support.

Apprentices: Taxation

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether police forces in Wales are required to contribute to the UK's Apprenticeship Levy.

Brandon Lewis: The apprenticeship levy will be introduced on 6 April 2017. The levy will be paid by an employer, in any sector, with a pay bill more than £3 million each year. This includes police forces in England and Wales.

Assaults on Police

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve the quality and comparability of data on assaults on the police.

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish data on assaults on police at a (a) constituency and (b) borough level.

Brandon Lewis: We have worked closely with police forces in recent years to improve the quality of data on assaults on the police. In July 2015 provisional data were published for the first time since 2009/10, presenting data on assaults without injury from crime recording systems alongside information from health and safety systems to provide a more complete picture of assaults.These data were then developed further in 2016, with forces asked to submit more complete data on assaults from their crime recording systems, including cases that involved injury as well as cases that did not. This allowed a more refined figure of 23,000 assaults on police officers in 2015/16 to be estimated.We are continuing to work with forces to better capture assaults that involve injury to the police in recorded crime data.Recorded crime data on “assaults without injury on a constable” are published at Community Safety Partnership (equivalent to boroughs in London) and Police Force Area level, and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tablesThere are no current plans to collect this data at parliamentary constituency level.

Slavery

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 5.2.13 of the Review of the National Referral Mechanism for victims of human trafficking, published in November 2014, on country-by-country differences in acceptance rates not suggesting a nationality bias, whether her Department conducted statistical tests to inform that conclusion.

Sarah Newton: The paragraph in question was informed by the data shown in Figure 6 of the National Referral Mechanism Review. The review can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/467434/Review_of_the_National_Referral_Mechanism_for_victims_of_human_trafficking.pdf

Airbnb

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance is available for police forces on their response to complaints from consumers who find out that accommodation booked and paid for through Airbnb does not exist.

Brandon Lewis: The type of fraud committed in this scenario is rental fraud; if an individual thinks they have fallen victim to any type of fraud or cyber crime they should immediately report it to Action Fraud. Action Fraud is the national reporting centre for all frauds and cyber crimes; following receipt of a crime report it will then pass it to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) who will assess it for viable leads. Where there is enough evidence available and a viable lead, NFIB will disseminate a crime package to the most appropriate force to launch an investigatory response.

Football: Hooliganism

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been banned from attending Premiership and Championship matches in England over the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Holding answer received on 24 October 2016



The Home Office annually publishes statistics on football banning orders imposed in England and Wales. The table below contains published statistics for the last five football seasons, detailing the total number of extant football banning orders and the number of new football banning orders imposed. A football banning order imposed in England and Wales prevents the individual from attending all matches in the Premier League and Football League. The statistics for season 2015-16 will be published on 24 November. Please refer to the table attached for detailed statistics.



Football banning orders, England and Wales
(Word Document, 33 KB)

Crimestoppers

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to advertise the independence of Crimestoppers to encourage more people, particularly young people, to come forward with information on crime.

Sarah Newton: The Home Office has provided grant funding of £770,500k in this financial year to support the work of Crimestoppers to encourage the public to report information on crime.In addition, this year we are also working closely with Crimestoppers to support the re-development of their ‘Fearless’ campaign and website which is targeted at encouraging children and young people to report crime, including through work in schools to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of knife crime.

Asylum: Human Trafficking

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers who are also either identified or potential victims of trafficking were housed in safe house accommodation rather than National Asylum Support Service accommodation in 2015.

Sarah Newton: Potential victims of modern slavery in England and Wales are supported through a Government-funded contract, delivered by the Salvation Army. This provides extremely vulnerable victims with a tailored and specialised package of care and support. This can include accommodation in a shelter.

Travellers: Caravan Sites

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for police forces across (a) regions and (b) the UK having variations in their respective plans of action for dealing with traveller camps in (i) public parks and recreation sites and (ii) other publicly-owned land.

Brandon Lewis: Dealing with unauthorised traveller sites requires a multi-agency response, involving local authorities and supported by the police.The police have powers under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to remove travellers from a site. The decision on whether to use these powers is an operational matter for the police who must consider their duties under the Equalities Act and Human Rights Act in each case.

Criminal Records: EU Nationals

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions have (a) EU member states exchanged with the UK and (b) the UK exchanged with other EU member states information related to EU citizens on the (i) adults and (ii) children's barred lists in each year since 2012.

Sarah Newton: Where an employer is considering an individual’s suitability for employment it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the individual is suitable to work with vulnerable people (including children). This may include seeking information from other countries, including EU member states. The Disclosure and Barring Service uses information from the England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scottish barred lists.

Slavery

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how potential victims of trafficking whose type of exploitation is recorded as unknown in the National Referral Mechanism Statistics, end of year summary 2015, published on 11 February 2016 were identified; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: Potential Victims who are recorded in the National Referral Mechanism Statistics (NRM) statistics as having suffered an unknown type of exploitation are identified and referred through the same process as other victims. The breakdown of agencies who referred them to the NRM are included in published statistics, data for which is derived from initial referral forms. An ‘unknown’ categorisation can result from missing or incomplete information on this form, which may be collected at a later stage as part of the ongoing assessment and safeguarding of the potential victim concerned.

Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the letter from the Secretary of State for Defence to the hon. Member for Kingston upon Hull North of 6 June 2016, what information her Department holds on the number of fighters who have returned who (a) are subject to Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIMS), (b) were subject to TPIMs prior to their return and (c) have been prosecuted.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Home Secretary’s quarterly report to Parliament on the operation of Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure (TPIM) legislation provides some background on current TPIM subjects: the most recent report was published on 26 October 2016 [HCWS220]. Further to the quarterly report we do not comment on the individual circumstances of TPIM subjects past or present.

Community Relations

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish the results of Dame Louise Casey's review into opportunity and integration in some of the UK's most isolated communities.

Sarah Newton: Dame Louise Casey’s independent review on boosting opportunity and integration in isolated and vulnerable communities will report to the Prime Minister and be published in due course.

Vetting

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of Metropolitan Police Service performance against the terms set out in its service level agreement with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Sarah Newton: The Disclosure and Barring Service regularly publishes data on police force performance, which can be located through the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-dataset-5-police-disclosure-unit-performanceI visited the Metropolitan Police Service disclosure unit on 2 September. I regularly receive reports from the Disclosure and Barring Service on the performance of the Metropolitan Police Service. I have made it clear that delays must be addressed. The Disclosure and Barring Service is working with the Metropolitan Police Service to reduce turnaround times as quickly as possible, which includes additional funding, staff and training, process improvement and support from other forces.

Bombings: Birmingham

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any Government departments, public bodies or other organisations have been allocated funds from the public purse for legal representation in connection with the resumed inquests into the murder of 21 people in the Birmingham pub bombings of November 1974.

Mr Ben Wallace: We are not aware of any public authority being allocated funding specifically for these inquests.

Police: Finance

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to submit any new police funding formula for England and Wales to a public consultation.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration her Department gives to (a) tourism and (b) mental health statistics in assessing funding for policing.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress has been made towards a review of the Police Core Grant Distribution Formula for England and Wales.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures of rural deprivation are used by her Department when calculating police funding formulas.

Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the value of using alternative measures of the policing needs of the night-time economy rather than the volume and density of bars.

Brandon Lewis: Reforming the police funding formula remains a key priority for this Government and we are engaging with the sector to look at the options for taking this forward. We will not take further decisions until we have considered the conclusions of this process. Any new arrangements would be subject to public consultation before implementation.

Police: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of training for the police on how to support people in custody who are experiencing mental health problems.

Brandon Lewis: The College of Policing has recently published Authorised Professional Practice on mental health. This guidance will support all police officers, including custody staff, to respond and support people experiencing mental health problems. It is the responsibility of individual police forces, through Chief Constables, to ensure officers and police staff receive appropriate training and that they have regard to the Authorised Professional Practice when discharging their responsibilities.

Scotland Office

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Scotland

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether a recent assessment has been undertaken of the extent of the sale of counterfeit electrical goods in Scotland which includes the (a) cost to the economy of such sales, (b) amounts of such goods being imported and (c) extent of the sale of such goods.

David Mundell: The UK-wide Intellectual Property Office works with law enforcement and industry partners across Scotland to reduce the availability of all types of counterfeits, including electrical goods. The Intellectual Property Crime Group, which is comprised of representatives from private sector, law enforcement agencies and government departments, publishes an annual report into intellectual property crime, including the sale of counterfeit goods in the UK. The latest report can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-ip-crime-report-2015-to-2016.

Counterfeit Manufacturing: Scotland

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on provisions in the Digital Economy Bill to protect Scottish consumers from counterfeit electrical goods being sold online.

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the effectiveness of the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 in preventing counterfeit electrical goods being sold and imported by online retailers in Scotland.

Corri Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on government campaigns to raise awareness on the dangers of Scottish consumers buying counterfeit electrical goods.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on a range of matters. I also have regular discussions with cabinet colleagues to consider issues relating to the Government’s parliamentary business and implementation of its legislative programme, including the Digital Economy Bill, which was introduced earlier this year.

HM Treasury

UK Withdrawal from EU

Matthew Pennycook: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the earliest date by which the UK will be able to discharge the liabilities entered into during its time as an EU member state when exiting from the EU.

Mr David Gauke: There are a whole range of issues and elements to our relationship with the European Union that will need to be addressed as we leave. These issues affect both sides, the UK and the EU. The government will not be giving a running commentary on the details.

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Clive Efford: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2016 to Question 48873, whether he plans to backdate the commencement date of secondary legislation to bring a £95,000 cap into force before 1 October 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The public sector exit payment cap will apply to exits specified in regulations that will be laid in Parliament and approved via the affirmative procedure. The cap will not apply to any exits that have occurred before the regulations have been laid and come into force.

Public Expenditure

Dan Jarvis: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an estimate of the potential effect on Total Managed Expenditure in 2017-18 of the UK's decision to leave the EU.

Mr David Gauke: The Government is preparing for the UK to make an orderly and successful exit from the European Union. As we have set out previously, the aggregate spending plans for this Parliament remain in place.

Combined Authorities: Borrowing

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to give non-transport borrowing powers to combined authorities.

Mr David Gauke: Discussions are ongoing on all devolution issues across government and with local areas.

Combined Authorities: Borrowing

Rob Marris: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on giving non-transport borrowing powers to combined authorities.

Mr David Gauke: Discussion are ongoing on all devolution issues across government and with local areas.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Affordable Housing

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of stamp duty reform on the availability of affordable accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison: HM Treasury regularly reviews the impacts of all taxes. The initial Tax Information and Impact Note is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stamp-duty-land-tax-higher-rates-on-purchases-of-additional-residential-properties/stamp-duty-land-tax-higher-rates-on-purchases-of-additional-residential-properties Any changes would be made at fiscal events in the normal way.

Cabinet Office

Royal Prerogative

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Queen's Constitutional prerogative, the legal prerogatives or prerogative executive powers will be used when triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on the Functions of the EU.

Chris Skidmore: Triggering Article 50 falls under the prerogative executive power, the powers exercised on behalf of the sovereign by ministers. Triggering Article 50 is something for the Government to get on with. Parliament had its say in legislating for the Referendum, which it did in both Houses, and with cross-party support by a margin of 6 to 1. Parliament was clear it was for the people to decide whether to remain in the EU or leave it. The people have spoken, and it is now down to the Government to act on their orders.

Royal Prerogative

Paul Flynn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide guidance to Government departments on the Government's current definition of the prerogative power.

Chris Skidmore: As set out in the Cabinet Manual, departmental civil servants provide advice to ministers on the extent of their powers. There are no plans to issue guidance from the Cabinet Office.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Public Expenditure

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46333, how much has been spent on the functions of the Department for International Trade; and what estimate he has made of how much will be spent on those functions by the end of the current fiscal year.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46333, how much has been spent on the functions of the Department for International Trade; and what estimate he has made of how much will be spent on those functions by the end of the current fiscal year.

Mark Garnier: Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes. The transfer of functions order (No 2016/ 992) laid on 19 October 2016 will come into effect on 9 November 2016.DIT is a new Department and is in the process of establishing a separate and distinct budget for its operating costs. This will be shared with Parliament through the Autumn Statement and Supplementary Estimates.

China: Overseas Trade

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK Steel industry of granting China market economy status.

Greg Hands: The Government has pressed the Commission over the last year on whether it considers China should be granted Market Economy Status and, if so, how it proposes the EU should respond. When we have the Commission’s proposals, we will consider them in detail, including whether they address the concerns of the UK steel sector.

Manufacturing Industries: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to work with manufacturing businesses in West Yorkshire to strengthen their export links.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) provides a wide range of help to West Yorkshire manufacturers that are seeking to export, tailored to the needs of the business. Every month we publish hundreds of new export opportunities from around the world. We provide access to a network of international trade specialists, offer programmes for new exporters to develop export strategies and e-exporting support to help retailers and brands to sell their products online. In addition to support at home, DIT staff overseas provide advice support for businesses to find opportunities in a range of markets. DIT multiplies its impact by working closely with partners such as EEF, The Manufacturer’s Organisation, and supporting key events for the local manufacturing sector such as this year’s Manufactured Yorkshire in Leeds.

Business: West Yorkshire

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to work with the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to strengthen the export links of businesses in West Yorkshire.

Mark Garnier: The Department for International Trade (DIT) provides a wide range of help to businesses across the country. We regularly publish new export opportunities from around the world. We provide information and advice to individual businesses through a network of local international trade specialists. Our teams overseas provide support for businesses in finding opportunities in markets abroad and to help them navigate their way to new and profitable business leads. DIT works closely with local partners and has a joint export plan with Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, working with them to develop a range of additional support and services to strengthen export links for businesses. In particular providing a number of activities to help businesses meet overseas buyers, either in West Yorkshire or by going overseas, through trade mission and trade fair activity.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

China: Human Rights

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his assessment is of the effectiveness of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue.

Alok Sharma: We understand the next EU/China Human Rights Dialogue will be held before the end of the year. Our assessment is that the EU/China Dialogue, like our bilateral dialogue, is a valuable opportunity to share the full range of human rights concerns with China in a frank manner.

China: Human Rights

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his assessment is of the effectiveness of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.

Alok Sharma: The latest round of the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue took place on 27/28 October. I attended the opening of the Dialogue. The UK is one of only a few countries with such a platform, which enables us to discuss the full range of our human rights concerns. During the dialogue we covered freedom of expression, religion and belief, minority rights and the death penalty. We were also able to share a number of human rights cases of particular concern. The dialogue is one way to discuss with China our shared international human rights commitments.

China: Human Rights

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the People's Republic of China on the detention of human rights lawyers since July 2015.

Alok Sharma: I raised the cases of the 15 Chinese lawyers and rights activists in pre-trial detention since July 2015 with the Chinese ambassador, in writing, on 1 August 2016. We also raised their cases most recently with the Chinese authorities at the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue on 27 October when we called on them to release those individuals detained for seeking to protect the rights of others.

Yemen: Diplomatic Service

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when a UK diplomat last visited Yemen.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Until February 2015, British diplomats were based in the British Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen. However, the escalating conflict at the beginning of 2015 led to the temporary closure and suspension of operations at the Embassy. It is currently too dangerous for UK staff to be based in Yemen.

Yemen: Diplomatic Service

Sue Hayman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK diplomats have visited Yemen in each of the last 10 years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Until February 2015, British diplomats were based in the British Embassy in Sana'a, Yemen. However, the escalating conflict at the beginning of 2015 led to the temporary closure and suspension of operations at the Embassy. It is currently too dangerous for UK staff to be based in Yemen.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions Ministers or officials of his Department have raised the case of Mrs Nazanin Ratcliffe with their Iranian counterparts since her arrest on 3 April 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​Since we were made aware of Mrs Nazanin-Ratcliffe's arrest in April 2016, Ministers and officials have raised her case repeatedly, at all levels, with the Iranian government. Most recently, The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) raised Mrs Nazanin-Ratcliffe's case with Iranian President Rouhani in person on 20 September, and followed up by letter on 3 October. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), raised Mrs Nazanin-Ratcliffe's case with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 22 September.

Hong Kong: Elections

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for political and human rights in Hong Kong of the election held there in September 2016.

Alok Sharma: The record turnout for the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections held in September, and the wide range of parties now represented in the Legislative Council, reflect the vibrant democratic debate in Hong Kong. We now hope to see the new legislature working constructively with the government, to ensure that Hong Kong remains a dynamic economy and that the rights and freedoms guaranteed under ‘One Country, Two Systems’ are protected. The Government’s most recent assessment of the political and human rights situation in Hong Kong is set out in the Foreign Secretary’s Six-Monthly Report on Hong Kong to the House of 12 October (https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/six-monthly-report-to-parliament-on-hong-kong-january-june-2016).

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Archaeology: Recruitment

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the additional workforce requirement of commercial archaeology in England over the next five years.

Tracey Crouch: The commercial archaeology market supports c.3,000 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts annually in England. It is difficult to estimate the additional workforce requirement over the next five years, given the number of unknowns. Historic England is working with employers to support the delivery of the skills required, for example through apprenticeships.

Sports: Public Participation

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase participation in sport.

Tracey Crouch: In December 2015, government published its new strategy, 'Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation.' This strategy sets out government's ambition to get more people engaged in sport and physical activity, particularly those who are currently least active, including those in lower socio-economic groups, some BME groups, older people, women and those with a disability. In May 2016, Sport England published its new strategy, 'Towards an Active Nation', which sets out how funding will be invested in grassroots sports to get more people active.

Sports: Disadvantaged

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to increase participation in sport among people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

Tracey Crouch: Sport England’s latest Active People Survey (APS) figures published in June this year show there has been an increase of 32,900 people from lower socio-economic groups regularly taking part in sport in the last year. However, we want to continue to do more to remove any barrier that prevents under-represented groups from taking part in sport and wider physical activity. Over the last year the government’s strategy for sport and physical activity ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for An Active Nation’ has been published as well as Sport England’s strategy ‘Towards an Active Nation’. Both strategies highlight the importance when meeting their aims of focusing on those groups that are less likely to take part in sport and physical activity including those from lower socio-economic groups. Sport England will invest 25% of its funding over the next four years, over £250 million, to combat inactivity. This funding will include measures to specifically engage under-represented groups in sport and physical activity.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Extended Ministerial Offices

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether there are any extended ministerial offices in her Department.

Matt Hancock: There are no extended ministerial offices in the Department.

Tourism

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Government's five point plan for tourism in achieving its aims.

Tracey Crouch: The Prime Minister’s Tourism Action Plan reaffirms this Government's commitment to growing the industry right across the UK. Progress is already being made, with the South East, South West, West Midlands and North East seeing international visits and spend grow at a faster rate than London​However, there is more to be done in order to ensure that the benefits of tourism are shared across all cities, regions and nations up and down the UK and we will be working hard to make this happen.

National Citizen Service Bill (HL): Impact Assessments

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to publish an impact assessment for the National Citizen Service Bill [HL].

Mr Rob Wilson: The NCS Bill is focused on the transformation of the Trust into a Royal Charter body. Given that all costs association with this transition will be directly funded by government, an impact assessment will not be required.

Mobile Phones: Competition

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on consumers of the time taken to implement switching in the mobile market to a gaining provider-led system.

Matt Hancock: Ofcom consulted on mobile switching and mobile contracts notice periods earlier this year and is currently considering responses to those consultations, with an expectation to make a statement on mobile switching in spring 2017. The Government would like to see consumers starting to benefit from these switching process measures as soon as possible. The Digital Economy Bill will make it easier for consumers to switch by requiring communications providers to follow any new procedures set by Ofcom when customers wish to change provider.

Mobile Phones: Competition

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information she holds of when Ofcom plans to bring forward its proposals to reform switching in the mobile market.

Matt Hancock: Ofcom consulted on mobile switching and mobile contracts notice periods earlier this year. Ofcom is now considering responses to those consultations and expects to make a statement on mobile switching in spring 2017.

Mobile Phones: Competition

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on vulnerable consumers of the current switching regime in the mobile market.

Matt Hancock: The Government is committed to making switching communications provider easier for all consumers, including for vulnerable people. The Digital Economy Bill will make it easier for consumers to switch by requiring communications providers to follow any new procedures set by Ofcom when customers wish to change provider. Ofcom consulted on mobile switching and mobile contracts notice periods earlier this year. Ofcom is now considering responses to those consultations and expects to make a statement on mobile switching in spring 2017.

Voluntary Work: Children

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of National Citizen Service participants are from independent schools.

Mr Rob Wilson: For the 2016 summer programme, 4% of participants reported that they attend independent schools (2,550 young people). NCS Trust does not currently hold school data for all participants, so this figure represents the proportion of those who provided their school details.

Voluntary Work: Children

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the social and economic benefits of the National Citizen Service; and when she plans to publish an evaluation report on that service.

Mr Rob Wilson: Consecutive, independent evaluations have demonstrated that National Citizen Service (NCS) delivers social and economic benefits. The most recently published evaluation shows that 90% of participants said that NCS helped them to develop key skills for the future. Annual evaluation reports on NCS are available on the NCS website (www.ncsyes.co.uk/our-impact).

Museums and Galleries

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to increase the numbers of visits to museums and galleries outside London.

Matt Hancock: The Government is committed to ensuring that arts and cultural experiences like museums and galleries benefit everyone and not just the privileged few. Our Culture White Paper set out Government’s expectation that all cultural organisations in receipt of public money should reach out to everyone regardless of background, education or geography. Earlier this month Arts Council England announced the ambition to achieve a 4% uplift in the proportion of the budget spent outside London in their 2018-22 investment. Already this year National Museums Liverpool has seen an 7% increase in the number of visits compared to this time last year. In the coming months DCMS aims to pilot different schemes to increase visitors to museums outside London and expand the ones that work, such as the Cultural Citizens pilot with Kids in Museums in Birmingham. The Museums Review will look at evidence and make further recommendations on widening participation.

Department of Health

Docklands Medical Services

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether Docklands Medical Services Ltd were registered with the Care Quality Commission for the provision of patient transport services during July, August and September 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 October 2016.The correct answer should have been:

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC makes decisions on whether to register providers based on the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The CQC provides assurance that all registered providers are meeting the relevant standards and then through a system of monitoring and ongoing inspection to make sure that standards are being maintained. The CQC has advised us that for the period July, August and September 2016 Coperforma held the contract with High Weald Lewes Haven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide Patient Transport Services to the population of Brighton and elsewhere. The CQC has confirmed that Coperforma were registered to provide patient transport services during the period in question. The CQC has confirmed that Docklands Medical Services Ltd was not registered to provide patient transport services during the period in question. When it is brought to the attention of the CQC that a provider may have been delivering a regulated activity without registration, they investigate. If the CQC finds evidence to show that regulated activity is or has been delivered whilst unregistered then the CQC may prosecute. It is an offence under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to carry out a regulated activity - in this case patient transport services - without being registered with the CQC. The CQC is investigating whether an offence has been committed. The Department understands that when the High Weald Lewes Havens CCG identified that the CQC registration in question related registered provider Coperforma had subcontracted service delivery to Docklands Medical Services (London) Ltd rather than Docklands Medical Services Ltd, they contacted and immediately instructed Coperforma asking them to confirm the relevant CQC registration status. to cease using Docklands Medical Services Limited as a subcontractor. This was immediately actioned by Coperforma. I have also asked NHS England to investigate this provision of transport services during July, August and September 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC makes decisions on whether to register providers based on the requirements of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. The CQC provides assurance that all registered providers are meeting the relevant standards and then through a system of monitoring and ongoing inspection to make sure that standards are being maintained. The CQC has advised us that for the period July, August and September 2016 Coperforma held the contract with High Weald Lewes Haven Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to provide Patient Transport Services to the population of Brighton and elsewhere. The CQC has confirmed that Coperforma were registered to provide patient transport services during the period in question. The CQC has confirmed that Docklands Medical Services Ltd was not registered to provide patient transport services during the period in question. When it is brought to the attention of the CQC that a provider may have been delivering a regulated activity without registration, they investigate. If the CQC finds evidence to show that regulated activity is or has been delivered whilst unregistered then the CQC may prosecute. It is an offence under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to carry out a regulated activity - in this case patient transport services - without being registered with the CQC. The CQC is investigating whether an offence has been committed. The Department understands that when the High Weald Lewes Havens CCG identified that the CQC registration in question related registered provider Coperforma had subcontracted service delivery to Docklands Medical Services (London) Ltd rather than Docklands Medical Services Ltd, they contacted and immediately instructed Coperforma asking them to confirm the relevant CQC registration status. to cease using Docklands Medical Services Limited as a subcontractor. This was immediately actioned by Coperforma. I have also asked NHS England to investigate this provision of transport services during July, August and September 2016.

Muscular Dystrophy

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to fund research to improve the care and treatment of people with the limb girdle 2b form of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including muscular dystrophy. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Research relating to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy is being funded by the NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre. Current funding for NIHR Biomedical Research Centres ends in March 2017. In September the Government announced the largest ever investment into health research - £816 million over five years from April 2017 for 20 NIHR Biomedical Research Centres in England. We would expect some of this investment to support muscular dystrophy research. The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently recruiting patients to a study of acceptance and commitment therapy for muscle disease. Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy is one of four muscle diseases included in the study.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of  ambulance waiting times in (a) London and (b) England in each month of 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England publishes the number of Category A Red One and Red Two calls responded to within eight minutes and the number of ambulances arriving at the scene within 19 minutes for a Category A call. The table below shows the percentage of Red One and Red Two calls responded to within eight minutes and the percentage of Category A calls responded to within 19 minutes for London Ambulance Service. It also shows the national performance figure for January to March 2016 and the aggregate performance figure for April to August 2016. Aggregate performance represents only eight out of the 11 ambulance trusts as three trusts are taking part in the Ambulance Response Programme Clinical Coding Trials and as such no longer report Category A performance. Table: Performance against Category A Ambulance Response Time Standards in 2016, in aggregate performance and London   Category A Red 1 calls responded to within 8 minutes – January - August 2016 (performance standard of 75%)Category A Red 2 calls responded to within 8 minutes –January- August 2016 (performance standard of 75%)Category A (Red 1 and Red 2) calls resulting in an ambulance arriving at the scene within 19 minutes January – August 2016 (performance standard of 75%)London Ambulance Service NHS TrustJanuary 201667.3%60.9%92.6%February 201664.7%56.4%91.3%March 201665.6%57.9%91.1%April 201670.0%64.6%94.2%May 201670.3%65.1%94.1%June 201672.2%65.3%94.4%July 201668.3%63.6%93.1%August 201668.7%67.4%94.0%England1January 201669.9%63.4%91.2%February 201668.0%60.3%89.8%March 201666.5%58.0%88.0%Aggregate performance2April 201671.3%65.2%92.2%May 201670.5%65.0%92.3%June 201669.2%62.9%91.1%July 201667.6%60.3%89.5%August 201670.0%63.8%91.3%Source: NHS England: Ambulance Quality IndicatorsNotes:1 up to April 2016, six of the 11 ambulance services were participating in the Ambulance Response Programme (ARP) Dispatch on Disposition pilot, including London Ambulance Service. This means that data are no longer reported consistently for the Category A Red 2 standard or for the Category A transportation standard.2 From April 2016, performance data for England for all three Category A standards are no longer available. This is because South Western Ambulance Service and Yorkshire Ambulance Service were participating in the ARP Clinical Coding trial. West Midlands Ambulance Service joined the clinical coding trial in June 2016. This means that Category A Red 1 performance, whilst still reported, is only available in aggregate for eight of 11 ambulance services and is no longer comparable with previous months. All other data measures unrelated to categorisation remain unaffected.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce ambulance waiting times in (a) London and (b) England.

Mr Philip Dunne: A number of activities are being taken to address waiting times for the ambulance service in London, including steps to increase the efficiency of operational systems and processes such as handovers at accident and emergency departments and measures to reduce demand for ambulance services in London. From April 2015/16 to present, commissioners have provided additional investment totalling £62.9 million to London Ambulance Service to increase the number of frontline staff, support vehicle maintenance and a number of performance improvement projects.NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Review will transform ambulance services from transport services into mobile treatment centres with greater use of “hear & treat” (closing calls over the phone with advice) and “see & treat” (treating patients on scene without onward conveyance), greater integration with the rest of the health system and a focus on preventing some of the demand on emergency departments. The Ambulance Response Programme is also exploring whether changes to the way that the ambulance service responds to calls could help improve patient outcomes, and help services better manage demand. We expect NHS England will make recommendations in spring 2017.

Young Offenders: Mental Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to improve access to mental health services for young offenders.

Nicola Blackwood: Young offenders are entitled to the same range and quality of health care treatments, including mental health care, as people in the community. The Department is committed to improving mental health treatment for young people in contact with the youth justice system, including those who are vulnerable to self-harm and suicide attempts. NHS England is developing a specific £24 million programme to improve mental health provision for children and young people, under 18 years old, in contact with the justice system.

High Weald Lewes Havens Clinical Commissioning Group

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2016 to Question 48818, if he will ascertain the value of invoices sent to the High Weald Havens Clinical Commissioning Group from each trust which has incurred private ambulances costs arising from performance problems with Patient Transport Services provided by Coperforma and arms length driver operatives; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The requested information is not held centrally.

Nutrition: Labelling

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of nutrition labelling in reducing obesity; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department has not made any recent assessment of the effectiveness of nutrition labelling in reducing obesity.However, a wealth of international evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of nutrition labelling in helping consumers make healthier choices. The purpose of mandatory nutrition labelling, which the United Kingdom supported in European Union legislation, is to ensure consumers have the information they need to make healthier choices. Healthier choices reduce intakes of saturated fats, sugars and salt, all factors in diseases related to obesity.The Childhood Obesity: A Plan for Action, launched in August, includes an intention to review additional opportunities to help consumers better understand which sugars in their diet they should be reducing.

Smoking

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) email, (b) meetings, (c) letters and (d) other contact he has had with the organisation Action on Smoking and Health on the Refresh Smoking Strategy in the last six months.

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake an independent review of the cumulative effect of tobacco control measures introduced by his Department in the last decade before moving forward with a refresh smoking strategy.

Nicola Blackwood: Ministers have received six letters and one email since 26 April 2016 from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). This correspondence makes reference to the tobacco control plan amongst other matters relating to tobacco control. These figures represent correspondence logged by the Department’s ministerial correspondence unit only. During this time frame, Ministers have not met with ASH.The Department assesses the impact of all proposed measures before laying legislation using standard government methodology. These assessments are set out in Impact Assessments which are scrutinised by the Regulatory Policy Committee before publication alongside the Statutory Instrument. A number of the tobacco measures contain commitments to further review the impact of the legislation within five years of them coming into force.The 2013 report An Audit of the impact of the Department of Health’s Regulations upon business concluded that there is a robust cost-benefit case for the tobacco control regulations considered and experience shows that initiatives to reduce smoking prevalence work best in combination, with cumulative effects over time.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will suffer from arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions to the NHS in each of the next 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

David Mowat: No specific estimate has been made of the number of people with who will suffer from arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions in each of the next 10 years or of the cost to the National Health Service of treating these conditions.

Patients: Nutrition

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will implement a process through which clinical commissioning groups are held to account on decisions relating to the restrictive prescribing of medical nutrition and its effect on health outcomes in (a) the first six months of recovery, (b) over the next three years and (c) over the course of long-term conditions.

Nicola Blackwood: Prescribing guidance is already available to clinicians on individual medical foods. Guidance on prescribing is published within Part XV of the Drug Tariff by clinical indication and product name. NHS England is responsible for ensuring that clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are fulfilling their statutory role and making decisions in line with published guidance. However, it is the responsibility of individual CCGs to monitor the impact of commissioning decisions in its area.

Nutrition

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the five-a-day scheme to alter eating habits; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: The 5 A DAY scheme was launched in 2003. Since then evidence from dietary surveys suggests that consumption of fruit and vegetables increased slightly to peak in 2006/07 but there has been little or no change in consumption since the late 2000s. It is not possible to determine to what extent these changes in consumption are due to the 5 A DAY programme compared to a range of other factors influencing dietary choices, such as price, which are likely to have an influence. Therefore no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the 5 A Day scheme to directly alter eating habits. There is evidence from interventions in schools and in the community where incorporating 5 A DAY messaging has increased fruit and vegetable consumption.

Diabetes: Hartlepool

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the level of Type (a) 1 and (b) 2 diabetes among the population of Hartlepool constituency; and what steps he is taking to (i) manage and (ii) reduce such conditions.

Nicola Blackwood: Diagnosed diabetes prevalence in England is taken from the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and represents all patients aged 17 and over who have been diagnosed with diabetes and included on general practice (GP) registers. Data are available by GP practices, clinical commissioning group (CCG) and for England. Table: Estimated number of people with diabetes in Hartlepool 2014-15NumberPrevalenceHartlepool4,8386.3% Source: Quality and Outcomes Framework 2014-15. NHS Digital is the trading name of the Health and Social Care Information Centre. All rights reserved. Notes:Diagnosed diabetes prevalence is not available by parliamentary constituency and has been estimated by aggregating GP practice level data where the postcode of the main practice falls within the local authority boundary.The data are not split by type 1 or type 2 diabetes but it is estimated that approximately 90% of all diabetes is type 2 (source: National Diabetes Audit). This Government is working hard to improve outcomes and quality of life for those already living with diabetes and those who will develop it in the coming years. Preventing type 2 diabetes is a key priority. Delivery of a national diabetes prevention programme is a manifesto commitment and alongside this the mandate to the National Health Service includes goals on diabetes prevention. Healthier You: the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme (NDPP) is the first type 2 diabetes prevention programme of its kind to be delivered at scale, nationwide. By 2020, the NDPP will be made available to up to 100,000 people at risk of diabetes each year across England. Those referred will get tailored, personalised help to reduce their risk including education on healthy eating and lifestyle and bespoke physical exercise programmes. One of our key goals in the mandate to the NHS is a measurable reduction in variation in the management and care of people with the condition within the lifetime of this Parliament. Funding has been secured through the spending review to help achieve this and NHS England is developing a programme to ensure that those CCGs which need extra investment in this area, accompanied by sound plans for delivery, receive it. In addition, the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework will play a key role in delivering this as it contains two recognised evidence based measures of whether patients with diabetes are being supported to successfully manage their condition (achievement of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence treatment targets and participation in structured education programmes).

Patients: Nutrition

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department takes to ensure that clinical commissioning groups safeguard access to medical nutrition for all patients in their area for whom it is recommended as part of NICE guidelines.

Nicola Blackwood: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines represent best practice and we expect National Health Service organisations to take them fully into account as they design services for their local populations. NICE clinical guidelines are not mandatory but the expectation is that NHS organisations will implement them over time drawing upon clinical judgement, and commissioners will take them into account when making commissioning decisions.

Cancer

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department plans to take to refresh its guidance on the link between (a) stress, (b) diet, (c) lack of exercise and (d) other elements of an unhealthy lifestyle with cancer.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS Choices provides advice to the public on links between unhealthy lifestyle and cancer.Current advice on diet and cancer is updated subject to changes in advice based on conclusions from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Specific advice in relation to foods and cancer relate to diets higher in fibre, fruit and vegetables and lower in red and processed meat. Diets high in calories, saturated fat and sugar are associated with weight gain and obesity is associated with risk of developing a range of cancers.Specific advice on reducing the risk of cancer by staying physically active, drinking less alcohol, stopping smoking, and protecting your skin from sun damage is also available. This is updated in line with assessments of the evidence.Public Health England has also promoted advice on stress through the ‘One You’ campaign. The online resources include advice on the causes and signs of stress and practical ways to prevent problems.

Prisoners: Mental Illness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of assessments of prisoners diagnosed with psychosis before they are released.

Nicola Blackwood: NHS England commissions health care to meet the needs of the prison population and to ensure continuity of care both on reception and on release from prison. Assessments of individuals’ mental health are carried out as part of early days screening, continuity of care and treatment during the sentence and planning for release. NHS England’s national service specification for mental health services sets out what is expected of healthcare providers to ensure continuity of care and support, and reintegration with community services, upon release from the establishment. Where a mental health assessment is required for parole purposes, the commissioning of these assessments is an issue for the National Offender Management Service.

Cardiovascular System

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the Cardiovascular Outcomes Strategy on patient outcomes since its publication.

David Mowat: No formal assessment has been made of the effect of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy on patient outcomes. However, NHS England continues to support a number of national clinical audits which provide the information to enable commissioners to assess the quality of local services, including in relation to heart disease, stroke and diabetes. NHS England hosts a CVD outcomes collaborative which brings together the relevant National Clinical Directors, the main relevant national charities, NHS Improving Quality, the National CVD Intelligence Network, Public Health England and the Department. This collaborative continues to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy.

Abortion: Clinics

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that private abortion clinics are registered; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that deregistered clinics cease operation.

Nicola Blackwood: Independent healthcare clinics are only able to carry out termination of pregnancy services if they are registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry out that regulated activity and are approved by the Secretary of State for Health to perform abortions. It is unlawful for an independent provider to carry out termination of pregnancy without the approval of the Secretary of State. Any evidence of this happening would be reported to the police for investigation.

Self-harm: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014, published on 29 September 2016, what plans he has to address the increase in self-harm among young women aged 16 to 24; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: We are looking at ways we can strengthen our response to self-harm within the cross-Government strategy on Suicide Prevention, including those at high risk such as young women. We have welcomed the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’s recommendation to develop a pathway of care for self-harm during 2017/18 and 2018/19, and we encourage providers to implement the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance to undertake psychosocial assessments of people who present at accident and emergency for self-harm.

General Practitioners

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance he has issued on patients' travel distance to GP services.

David Mowat: Neither the Department nor NHS England has issued guidance on patients’ travel distance to general practitioner services.

Cancer: Young People

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 October 2016 to Question 48113, what proportion of funding for health services received by teenagers and young adults with cancer and leukaemia in (a) Bristol and (b) England comes from charitable trusts.

David Mowat: This information is not held centrally.

General Practitioners: Incentives

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England monitors clinical commissioning group incentive schemes for evidence of payments to GPs for the reduction of outpatient referrals.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce regulations to prevent clinical commissioning groups incentivising the reduction of outpatient referrals by GPs.

David Mowat: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for making decisions based on what they believe will achieve the best outcomes for patients in their areas. The Department expects decisions to be based on clinical evidence and, where appropriate, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. NHS England’s CCG incentive scheme, the Quality Premium (QP) is designed to support the delivery of the major priorities for the National Health Service, as set out in the Five Year Forward View and in the Mandate to NHS England. The scheme does not focus on the reduction of outpatient referrals. QP payments should be used by CCGs to secure improvement in the quality of health services; or the outcomes achieved from the provision of health services; or reducing inequalities between patients in terms of their ability to access health services or the outcomes achieved. NHS England does not monitor the use of award payments by CCGs. CCGs may offer local incentives to providers, and would be expected to do so in the best interest of patients.

General Practitioners: Lyneham

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether (a) proposals for outreach GP surgeries and (b) the proposed   outreach GP surgery at Lyneham require approval by his Department.

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has had discussions with Wiltshire CCG on a new GP Outreach surgery in Wiltshire.

David Mowat: Proposals for branch surgeries require the approval of NHS England or a clinical commissioning group (CCG) acting on their behalf; they do not require departmental approval. Contact regulations require surgeries to agree the locations from which general practitioner (GP) services will be provided. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not had discussions with Wiltshire CCG on a new GP Outreach surgery in Wiltshire.

Life Expectancy: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for life expectancy of residents of Ashfield being lower than the national average.

Nicola Blackwood: There has been a significant increase in life expectancy in Ashfield since 2000/02 in line with the national trend. The current life expectancy at birth for both males (78.0 years) and females (82.0 years) in Ashfield is significantly lower than the national average (79.5 years and 83.2 years respectively). The rate of mortality from causes considered preventable was 210.7 per 100,000; this is significantly higher than the national average of 182.7 per 100,000. Our health as individuals, and as communities, is influenced by many factors including the social and economic environment in which we are raised, live and work.

Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) consultations and (b) inspections took place at Royal Brampton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust prior to that Trust being notified on 30 June 2016 that it did not meet the new standards for congenital heart disease services.

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals providing congenital heart disease services (a) do not meet the standard for the co-location of paediatric services and (b) have been informed that they may be required to cease to provide those services as a result of not meeting that standard.

Dr Tania Mathias: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect on the Royal Brompton Hospital as a national specialist referral centre for children with lung disorders of the proposed closure of its paediatric congenital heart disease services.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England’s proposals for change, to ensure that all providers of congenital heart disease services for adults and children comply with new commissioning standards, are based on written evidence provided by the units themselves. The Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust conducted a self-assessment against the nationally agreed standards which NHS England then considered. No inspection was undertaken as part of this process. NHS England has met with the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust to discuss the impact of their proposals for change. On reviewing the material provided by the Trust, NHS England has asked for further information. The standards for paediatric co-location are not currently met by the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. NHS England has informed these trusts of its assessment and whether this may involve further consideration of proposals to cease providing those services. NHS England has not yet made any commissioning decisions. It will run a service change process, including a public consultation, on its proposals for change.

Health Visitors

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many health visitors commissioned by local authorities since October 2015 are employed in non-NHS organisations.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent health visitors were in post in September 2015 prior to transfer of commissioning to local authorities.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Health Visitor Minimum Data set collection, that was established in 2012 to collect statistics on the number of health visitors employed by National Health Service provider organisations as well as those employed by local authorities, or other care providers was approved for the duration of the national programme only and ceased at the end of September 2015. The vast majority of health visitors are employed in NHS organisations. Health visitors are also employed by other providers including independent sector and local authority in house provision. From statistics published by NHS Digital, as at 30 September 2015, the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) health visitors directly employed in NHS organisations was 10,236 and the number of health visitors (FTE) employed by local authorities and/or other care providers was 518. In September 2015, NHS Digital began to collect and publish data on staff, including health visitors, in some independent sector healthcare organisations in England. This collection does not represent the entire workforce employed across the whole of the independent sector, nor does this data only show staff providing NHS commissioned services. The latest available data, published in September 2016, showed, as at 31 March 2016 that there were 924 FTE health visitors in those independent sector organisations which provided data.

Health Visitors: Training

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many commissioned health visitor student places had been filled by September 2016.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many commissions for health visitor students there were for the academic year starting September 2016.

Mr Philip Dunne: The number of commissions proposed for health visitor students in the academic year 2016/17 is 817 as detailed in Health Education England’s Workforce Plan for England 2016/17. Data on the number of health visitor student places that have been filled in the academic year 2016/17 is not yet available.

NHS Improvement

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people are employed in NHS Improvement's Operational Productivity Directorate; what the total salary cost is for employing all such people; and how many employees in that Directorate earn more than £100,000.

Mr Philip Dunne: When at full capacity the directorate will have approximately 140 members of staff. At this time it is not possible to provide a precise figure due to the ongoing recruitment process.

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey: Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, England, 2014, published on 29 September 2016, what plans he has to address the increase in the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder in young women; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood: Young women have emerged as a high risk group in the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, including positive screens for posttraumatic stress disorder. The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey and the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health report have highlighted issues of mental health inequalities; both in relation to risk of developing mental health problems, and in accessing services when mental health problems develop. In response to recommendations made by the Task Force, the Department is in the process of developing a mental health equalities work programme for the next five years. The development which will be informed by a roundtable this autumn formed of expert stakeholders and service users and carers. The data produced by the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, and the equalities issues it raises, will directly inform the roundtable discussion and the subsequent content and focus of the work programme.

Family Nurse Partnership Programme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many families have been assisted by the Family Nurse Partnership in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (b) Liverpool, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) each region in each year since 2010.

Nicola Blackwood: Information is not held centrally in the format requested.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Opening Hours

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the number of accident and emergency departments that will reduce their opening hours by 2020; and which accident and emergency departments a decision has been reached on reducing open hours.

Mr Philip Dunne: The redesign and delivery of front-line health services is a matter for the local National Health Service – clinically led by front line NHS organisations and clinicians who are closest to the needs of communities and therefore best-placed to make decisions in the interests of their patients. NHS England leads on reconfiguration policy. There has been no formal assessment of accident and emergency departments that will see a reduction in their opening hours by 2020.

Doctors' List of Patients

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average number of patients per GP surgery is in (a) England, (b) Wiltshire, (c) Royal Wootton Bassett and (d) Calne.

David Mowat: The information requested is in the attached document.



PQ50693 GP list sizes Wiltshire 31st Oct
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.32 KB)

Circle

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether a formal assessment of the effect of awarding the contract for provision of muscular skeletal services to Circle Health at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trusts was carried out by (a) Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group and (b) NHS England.

Mr Philip Dunne: The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service. NHS England is accountable for ensuring that the health services which both it and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) commission are of high quality and deliver value for money. The CCG Improvement and Assessment Framework has been designed to provide confidence to internal and external stakeholders and the wider public that CCGs are operating effectively to commission safe, high-quality and sustainable services within their resources. We are informed by NHS England that Greenwich CCG follows standard NHS procurement procedures and that these procedures were followed for this procurement. We understand that the detailed clinical service specification will be used to hold the provider to account within the format of the NHS national standard contract. We are further advised that this procurement has been subject to NHS England’s assurance process for this type of contract.

Restraint Techniques: Ethnic Groups

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether mental health providers are required in recording data on the use of physical restraint to record the ethnicity of the person against whom such restraint is used.

Nicola Blackwood: Yes, ethnicity and physical restraint are required elements of the Mental Health Services Data Set.

Young Offenders: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of mental health support available for youth offenders in the criminal justice system.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department is committed to improving mental health treatment and support for young people in contact with the youth justice system. NHS England sets out in its Commissioning Intentions that it will deliver healthcare for children and young people detained by the justice system, including mental health treatment, to the standard set out in “Healthcare of Children and Young People in Secure Settings” developed in June 2013 by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and others. NHS England is developing a £24 million programme to address gaps in mental health provision for this vulnerable group.